China’s new leaders look to consolidate GCC link

China is looking for fresh impetus in its relationship with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries. Assisting it is Bahrain, whose King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa is seen by Beijing as a key player in efforts to rebuild diplomatic bridges with Saudi Arabia. Beijing is looking to the Bahraini GCC presidency to help broker agreement, at the group’s annual summit in December, on holding the first China-GCC Strategic Dialogue meeting in two years. The supposedly regular events were quietly shelved as Riyadh expressed its displeasure at China’s vetoing of UN resolutions on Syria and its attitude towards Iran, but Chinese sources told GSN Beijing was hoping to hold one in early 2014.