Qatar: Emir Tamim in China and South Korea

On 3-4 November, Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani went on a two-day official visit to China, with whom Qatar established diplomatic relations in July 1988. It was a productive visit, with a number of agreements signed, including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint investment between the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and China’s CITIC group which will see $10bn invested in China (for more on the economic deals signed, see page 10). Tamim and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who hosted a banquet in his honour, also witnessed the signing of an agreement on promoting Qatari-Chinese co-operation in building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road, one on education and one on sport.