Chinese premier to bolster Gulf energy ties - FT.com

China will this week launch its highest-level diplomatic visit to the Gulf for more than two years, seeking to bolster its growing energy ties to the region amid jitters over possible western sanctions on Iranian oil and Tehran’s counter-threat to block the Strait of Hormuz.
Premier Wen Jiabao’s six-day trip will take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while China’s state-owned Sinopec is poised to sign a joint venture deal to develop a big refinery on the Saudi Red Sea Coast.

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Rising tensions between Iran and its Arab oil producing neighbours have highlighted the delicate path Beijing needs to tread to preserve both as big oil suppliers, while unrest across the Middle East has triggered wider concerns in China about its dependence on the region’s oil.