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POLITICAL ISSUES
EGYPT
1. Sisi’s trip to China to enhance strategic partnership: minister
Cairo, Saturday, 6 December 2014
During an interview, Egypt's International Cooperation Minister Nagla al-Ahwani said that the main purpose of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi's expected visit to Beijing was to create a kind of strategic partnership with China.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

2. Egyptian president to visit China next week
Beijing, Thursday, 18 December 2014
China's Foreign Ministry announced that the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi will pay a state visit to China from 22-25 December as a guest of President Xi Jinping.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

3. China, Egypt establish comprehensive strategic partnership
Beijing, Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi signed a joint document on establishing a bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and pledged to boost political, economic, military, cultural and technological cooperation along with cooperation on regional and international affairs.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing; See Also: Xinhua, Beijing

4. Top Chinese legislator meets Egyptian President
Beijing, Wednesday, 24 December
Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Zhang Dejiang met with the visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi and discussed bilateral relations.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

5. China, Egypt pledge cooperation on big construction projects
Beijing, Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged to promote bilateral cooperation on big construction projects during the first China visit by President Sisi.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

IRAN
6. China's legislature ratifies extradition treaties, anti-terror convention
Beijing, Sunday, 28 December 2014
China approved two new extradition treaties with Iran during bimonthly legislature session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Counter-Terrorism Convention.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

ISRAEL
7. China urges Israel to investigate into death of Palestinian minister
Beijing, Friday, 12 December 2014
China strongly urged Israel to conduct a serious investigation into the death of Palestinian Minister of Settlement Ziad Abu Ein who died in a hospital after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers during a mass rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

8. China urges Security Council to play due role on Palestinian issue
United Nations, Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN called on the UNSC to "effectively assume responsibility" and play its due role in mediating the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He made the appeal at a UNSC meeting, where a Palestinian-drafted resolution urging the end of Israeli occupation by the end of 2017 failed to be adopted.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

9. China calls for early resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks
Beijing, Wednesday, 31 December 2014
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying explained that China voted in favour of a Palestinian-drafted resolution urging Israel to end occupation by the end of 2017 because China has always supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

TUNISIA
10. China congratulates new Tunisian president
Beijing, Wednesday, 24 December 2014
China welcomed Tunisia's presidential elections and congratulated Beji Caid Essebsi on his election as president, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-12/24/c_133876795.htm

11. Xi congratulates Essebsi on election as Tunisian president
Beijing, Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Beji Caid Essebsi on his election as Tunisia's new president.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

ECONOMIC ISSUES
12. China tops Algeria's supplier list for second year
Algiers, Sunday, 21 December 2014
China emerged as Algeria's largest supplier in the first 11 months of 2014 with US$ 7.44 billion, followed by France with US$ 5.89 billion, according to the figures of Customs.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
13. Document on linking China's railway to Iran signed in Dushanbe
Dushanbe, Wednesday, 10 December 2014
The document on a regional railway designed to link China with Iran via Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan was signed, Tajikistan's Ministry of Transport announced. It is expected to start from China's Kashgar to Afghanistan's Herat, then go through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and finally be connected with the Iranian railway.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

14. Morocco's largest private bank starts trading in Chinese Yuan
Casablanca, Friday, 19 December 2014
One of Morocco's biggest lenders Attijariwafa Bank announced that it has begun trading in the Chinese Yuan to help local and African businesses in their growing commercial partnership with China.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

15. China-Arab research institute launched in Muslim region
Yinchuan, Saturday, 20 December 2014
A China-Arab research institute was established in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where many of the Muslim Hui ethnic minority lives.
Source: Xinhua, Beijing

COMPILED BY DIPANWITA CHAKRAVORTTY

Dipanwita Chakravortty is a doctoral candidate in School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  Email

As part of its editorial policy, the MEI@ND standardizes spelling and date formats to make the text uniformly accessible and stylistically consistent. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views/positions of the MEI@ND. Editor, MEI@ND: P R Kumaraswamy