China and GCC to restart FTA negotiations

China’s attempts to reinvigorate links with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states are bearing fruit. Foreign minister Wang Yi’s late December visit to Saudi Arabia paved the way for the first China-GCC Strategic Dialogue meeting in two years, which was held on 17 January in Beijing. The two sides agreed to restart negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and signed a plan of action for 2014-17. Wang’s visit to Riyadh was aimed at building bridges. While China is Riyadh’s largest trading partner, diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia had soured following Beijing’s blocking of moves at the United Nations (UN) to unseat Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.