AGL 40.00 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
AIRLINK 129.06 Decreased By ▼ -0.47 (-0.36%)
BOP 6.75 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.05%)
CNERGY 4.49 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-3.02%)
DCL 8.55 Decreased By ▼ -0.39 (-4.36%)
DFML 40.82 Decreased By ▼ -0.87 (-2.09%)
DGKC 80.96 Decreased By ▼ -2.81 (-3.35%)
FCCL 32.77 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
FFBL 74.43 Decreased By ▼ -1.04 (-1.38%)
FFL 11.74 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (2.35%)
HUBC 109.58 Decreased By ▼ -0.97 (-0.88%)
HUMNL 13.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.81 (-5.56%)
KEL 5.31 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-1.48%)
KOSM 7.72 Decreased By ▼ -0.68 (-8.1%)
MLCF 38.60 Decreased By ▼ -1.19 (-2.99%)
NBP 63.51 Increased By ▲ 3.22 (5.34%)
OGDC 194.69 Decreased By ▼ -4.97 (-2.49%)
PAEL 25.71 Decreased By ▼ -0.94 (-3.53%)
PIBTL 7.39 Decreased By ▼ -0.27 (-3.52%)
PPL 155.45 Decreased By ▼ -2.47 (-1.56%)
PRL 25.79 Decreased By ▼ -0.94 (-3.52%)
PTC 17.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.96 (-5.2%)
SEARL 78.65 Decreased By ▼ -3.79 (-4.6%)
TELE 7.86 Decreased By ▼ -0.45 (-5.42%)
TOMCL 33.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.78 (-2.26%)
TPLP 8.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.66 (-7.28%)
TREET 16.27 Decreased By ▼ -1.20 (-6.87%)
TRG 58.22 Decreased By ▼ -3.10 (-5.06%)
UNITY 27.49 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.22%)
WTL 1.39 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.72%)
BR100 10,445 Increased By 38.5 (0.37%)
BR30 31,189 Decreased By -523.9 (-1.65%)
KSE100 97,798 Increased By 469.8 (0.48%)
KSE30 30,481 Increased By 288.3 (0.95%)

BEIJING: Foreign ministers from oil-rich Gulf states arrived in Beijing on Monday for a five-day visit as turmoil in neighbouring Kazakhstan raises concerns about China's energy security.

The officials from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as well as secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef bin Falah al-Hajrah, will be in China until Friday, the foreign ministry has said.

Recent unrest in oil and gas-rich Kazakhstan has raised concerns in China, which has long invested heavily in its central Asian neighbour's energy industry.

The visit follows a flurry of diplomatic activity by China's foreign minister Wang Yi, including a tour of Africa as well as visits to the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The foreign ministry did not provide further details on the Gulf ministers' visit, the first group trip of its kind, but they are expected to discuss strengthening energy ties with Beijing.

China has sought in recent years to bolster its ties with the Gulf states, with President Xi Jinping in 2014 aiming to more than double trade with the region by 2023.

State-owned newspaper Global Times said the visit may also "make breakthroughs" in talks over a China-GCC free-trade agreement.

The potential agreement was first tabled in 2004, with the two sides discussing in March last year the possibility of resuming negotiations.

Xi praised the Kazakhstan government's deadly crackdown on protesters as "highly responsible" in a message to leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev last week.

He added that Beijing was willing to "provide support" if needed, state media reported.

Comments

Comments are closed.