LONDON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China has overtaken the United States, Britain, and the Eurozone combined to become the Gulf region's largest trading partner, according to a report released Thursday by the London-based think tank Asia House.
The report, Middle East Pivot to Asia: The Gulf's Rise as a Global Middle Power, shows that China's trade with the six Gulf countries reached 257 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, narrowly surpassing the 256 billion U.S. dollars in combined Gulf trade with major Western economies.
Asia House projects that Gulf-China trade will climb to 375 billion U.S. dollars by 2028, widening the trade gap with Western economies to 75 billion U.S. dollars.
According to Asia House, China now accounts for 47 percent of all Gulf trade with emerging Asian economies, with expanding synergies boosting cooperation across non-oil sectors, including renewables, construction, and technology.
The report highlights the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) growing non-oil trade with China, which rose 15 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2025.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia remain China's largest trading partners in the Gulf, accounting for 46 percent and 38 percent, respectively, of China's trade with the bloc.
