Episode 66 - China in the Middle East and beyond

President Xi Jinping's first overseas trip of 2016 was to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran. Between January 19th to the 24th, Xi visited each country and signed dozens of agreements worth billions, although as is always the case with China-Africa numbers, those amounts should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, it was deft diplomacy to visit both Saudi Arabia and Iran in the same trip, considering they are mortal enemies. In addition, Xi's visit to Egypt was significant: the country is supposed to be major artery for One Belt One Road, and also Egypt was the first African country to recognize China in 1956 - so President Xi and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi attended a celebration marking the 60th anniversary of those relations at the opening ceremony of the Sino-Egyptian Culture Year in 2016. To talk about the Xi's visit and China-Middle East relations more broadly, we have on this episode: Lina Benabdallah, a PhD candidate at the department of Political Science and Center for African studies at the University of Florida, whose research looks into the dynamics of vocational trainings and power diffusion in China-Africa relations (and is the proud co-host of the Cowries and Rice podcast); and Evanna Hu, a previous guest of the pod who was CEO of g.Maarifa in Nairobi but has moved on to new projects and a new base in Amman, Jordan. She is a technologist specializing in mobile tech platforms and digital strategies, having done on-the-ground implementation in conflict zones, including stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, where she saw first-hand Chinese interests in those countries.