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Jonathan Fulton

@jonathanfulton.bsky.social

Associate professor of political science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Nonresident senior fellow at Atlantic Council. Research focuses on China-Middle East relations. Host of The China-MENA Podcast, author of China-MENA Newsletter on Substack.

1,309 Followers  |  258 Following  |  321 Posts  |  Joined: 26.09.2023  |  1.8235

Latest posts by jonathanfulton.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Chinese-Saudi investment is not quite a two-way street Chinese capital has been flowing generously into Saudi Arabia but there has been remarkably little moving in the other direction

My latest for AGBI: www.agbi.com/opinion/trad...

01.10.2025 13:44 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Book Talk: Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China's Middle East Math - Arab Gulf States Institute On September 18, AGSI will host a discussion on the trajectory of China's presence in the Middle East.

Next week: AGSI will host a discussion on the trajectory of China's presence in the Middle East with @jonathanfulton.bsky.social and moderated by Robert Mogielnicki. Register today.

12.09.2025 13:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Book Talk: Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China's Middle East Math - Arab Gulf States Institute On September 18, AGSI will host a discussion on the trajectory of China's presence in the Middle East.

Event 9/18: Book Talk: Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China’s Middle East Math with author @jonathanfulton.bsky.social, moderated by Robert Mogielnicki. Register now. agsi.org/events/book-...

08.09.2025 19:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Shanghai Cooperation Summit in Tianjin So, today is Day 2 of the SCO Summit in Tianjin.

The Shanghai Cooperation Summit is in full swing in Tianjin, with Iranian and Turkish presidents and Egyptian PM in attendance. If you're looking for MENA-SCO content: chinamenanewsletter.substack.com/p/shanghai-c...

01.09.2025 07:36 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Saudi investment delegation in China, PRC solar investments, China-Arab States Expo, and lots more Far too much content to cover in the title line today...

A lot of China-MENA content in the newsletter today, including KSA investment delegation in PRC and China-Arab States Expo: chinamenanewsletter.substack.com/p/saudi-inve...

29.08.2025 09:08 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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China and Oman converge on solar China's relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE may get the limelight but Oman has its own interesting bilateral relationship

My latest for AGBI: www.agbi.com/opinion/trad...

28.08.2025 10:31 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Fun to come home to a box full of books.

25.08.2025 06:56 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Nice to see @abuaardvark.bsky.social reviewed my book alongside the excellent recent one from @andreaghiselli.bsky.social and Mohammed Alsudairi.

25.08.2025 06:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Les chercheurs du CÉPI @thomasjuneau.bsky.social et @srdj.bsky.social travaillent depuis plusieurs années sur un projet consacré à la politique de défense canadienne. Le volume 1 a été publié en 2020, le volume 2 en 2023, et le travail sur le volume 3 débutera dans les prochains mois !

19.08.2025 16:46 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Book talk: China's Middle East math Jonathan Fulton explores the expansion of Chinese power and influence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects undertaken in the β€œ1+ 2+ 3 cooperation ...

I'll be giving a book talk at Atlantic Council on August 27 to discuss Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China's Middle East Math. Register through the link and tune in to learn more about China's economic statecraft in the Middle East. www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/book-t...

15.08.2025 11:48 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I spent decades at Columbia. I’m withdrawing my fall course due to its deal with Trump | Rashid Khalidi The university’s draconian policies and new definition of antisemitism make much teaching impossible

I spent decades at Columbia. I’m withdrawing my fall course due to its deal with Trump | Rashid Khalidi www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

02.08.2025 11:04 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The Olander Bump in my book sales, coming up!

30.07.2025 11:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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China–Middle East Analysis and the Future of China–middle East Studies.

29.07.2025 19:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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From Dialogues to Deals: Egypt’s Calculated Dance with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Also: WSJ on China's decreasing energy imports, China-Russia-Iran meeting in Tehran, SCZone investment tour in China, Saudi competing in renewables

My latest newsletter looks at Egypt as an SCO dialogue partner, among other issues: open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

23.07.2025 12:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Li Qiang's Cairo visit marks deepening China-Egypt ties Chinese Premier Li Qiang paid a two-day visit to Egypt last week, stopping in Cairo on his way home from the Brics+ summit in Brazil

My latest column from AGBI, looking at Li Qiang's visit to Egypt: www.agbi.com/opinion/trad.... #china #egypt

21.07.2025 19:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A fun birthday gift: @keeganmatheson.bsky.social’s great new addition to the @bluejays.com library.

19.07.2025 15:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Air taxis and freight trains Also: Chinese expansion in Egypt's SCZone, big contract for CHEC in Saudi, coverage of SCO Ministers' Meeting

A roundup of recent developments in China-MENA relations, including a potential eVTOL deal with the UAE and an expansion of China's presence at SCZone in Egypt: open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

18.07.2025 13:58 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Analysis: China was on the sidelines of the Iran-Israel war. That’s just where it wanted to be | CNN Weeks after his country was battered by waves of Israeli strikes and the US bombed three of its prized nuclear facilities, Iran’s foreign minister came to a gathering of regional diplomats in China th...

I spoke with CNN for this piece on Iranian FM Araghchi's recent trip to Tianjin for the SCO Ministers' Meeting:
www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/c...

18.07.2025 11:16 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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If there’s a better way to write a column I haven’t found it yet.

17.07.2025 16:30 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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China’s Middle East Math There was widespread disappointment in Iran that China didn't do more to help Tehran during the recent 12-day war with Israel and the United States. Beijing, for its part, offered robust rhetorical an...

I had fun talking with Eric Olander again for his must-listen China in the Global South Podcast. We discussed my new book and China-MENA in general. Always enjoy doing this show. Have a listen, subscribe and support the work Eric and his team is doing. chinaglobalsouth.com/podcasts/pod...

17.07.2025 11:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Photo Ops and Paper Partnerships: Iran’s Lonely Road to Tianjin Also: antidumping disputes between GCC & PRC; coverage of Li's Egypt visit

FM Araghchi is in China for the SCO Ministers Meeting. I wrote about Iran's minimal expectations here: open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

14.07.2025 15:19 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

1/I’ve obtained a farewell note a person in the human rights bureau sent out to his colleagues after being fired from the State Department today. A few tidbits from it:

11.07.2025 18:44 β€” πŸ‘ 667    πŸ” 300    πŸ’¬ 13    πŸ“Œ 49
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Got some fantastic summer reading in the mail today - recent books by @valinasr.bsky.social and @elhamfakhro.bsky.social.

11.07.2025 16:24 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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China’s Cairo Visit: What Li Qiang’s Trip Signals for Egypt, the Arab League, and the Region Also: Iran and BeiDou satellites, a joint energy transition fund with Oman

Key takeaways from Li's visit to Egypt, as well as Iran and BeiDou satellites and a joint energy transition fund for Oman. Subscribe to the newsletter to get up to speed on China-MENA.
open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

11.07.2025 13:24 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Israel-Iran War and Chinese Status in the Middle East Ever since the Israel-Iran cease fire took hold, I’ve been seeing a steady stream of articles with a focus on China’s diminished status in the Middle East, as if suddenly everyone in MENA collectively...

open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

10.07.2025 15:14 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China's Middle East Math This book analyses the expansion of Chinese power and influence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects undertaken in the β€œ1+ 2+ 3 cooperation patter...

www.routledge.com/Building-the...

10.07.2025 11:54 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A 20% discount for my book, Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China's Middle East Math. Promo code 25AFLY1. Order via the link in the comment.

10.07.2025 11:53 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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A special moment that never gets old, unboxing a new book after years of work on it. Please help me welcome The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide.

25.06.2025 12:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1595    πŸ” 218    πŸ’¬ 41    πŸ“Œ 21
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Li Qiang arrives in Egypt, German aircraft lasered in Red Sea by Chinese military, China-Saudi academic cooperation agreement signed Premier Li Qiang has arrived in Egypt after representing China at the BRICS+ summit in Brazil.

open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

09.07.2025 11:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Israeli concerns about PRC surveillance via smart devices, Chinese companies in Egypt registering to use renminbi in local transactions, Wang Yi comments on Iran and Israel China’s big brother is watching: How Chinese smart devices are spying inside Israel - YNet. Ynet published along and informative article on Chinese devices in Israel, and the issues brought up through...

open.substack.com/pub/chinamen...

06.07.2025 13:47 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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