China Putting Military Base in UAE

Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, July 22, 2019.  Andy Wong-Pool/Getty Images

• China has resumed the construction of a military base in the UAE, leaker papers show.
• Plans for a Chinese base had earlier been halted amid US concerns.
• China is riling the US by forming ties with its traditional allies in the region.

China resumed construction of a military base in the United Arab Emirates, a move likely to alarm US officials and increase concerns that another US ally in the Middle East is drawing closer to China.

According to leaked US intelligence documents obtained by The Washington Post, construction has resumed at a Chinese military base just outside Abu Dhabi.

Plans for a base were halted in 2021 after the US voiced its objections. But The Post's documents indicate that the plans now appear to be going ahead.

According to the report, US intelligence is monitoring Chinese activity at the base and at other locations in the oil-rich UAE amid concerns that it is drawing closer to Beijing. The presence of Chinese officials at several sensitive military sites have alarmed US intelligence, the report says.  READ MORE...

World Expo in Dubai

Dubai expects 25 million people to visit World Expo

The World Expo is opening in Dubai, and its organisers hope it will attract millions of overseas visitors to the emirate.

World Expos allow countries showcase their latest technology, and they've been drawing in crowds for the past 170 years dating back to Queen Victoria's reign. 

But visitor numbers for this year's Expo may be lower than usual due to Covid as many countries are still putting restrictions on international travel.

On 27 November 2013, fireworks painted the sky from the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, as thousands across the UAE celebrated. A national holiday was even declared for all educational institutions across the country. 

We were overjoyed that we won the bid and would soon be ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’ with the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.