China and Turkmenistan moved to deepen their energy partnership as Beijing’s top envoy attended the launch of a major gas project and signed cooperation deals, underscoring the strategic importance of natural gas ties and broader cooperation.
Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, President Xi Jinping’s special representative, attended the groundbreaking of a gas field project this week, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. Ding also met with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.
Both sides agreed to expand gas cooperation and accelerate major projects, according to Xinhua. China and Turkmenistan signed agreements covering gas cooperation principles, a cooperation plan running through 2030, and new deals in areas including logistics, artificial intelligence, science and cultural exchanges, the report added. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-18/china-turkmenistan-deepen-gas-ties-as-project-breaks-ground
Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Mohamed Farid, held talks with Sharon Nishi, Chairperson and Managing Director of General Motors Egypt and Africa, to review the company’s current investments in Egypt and its future expansion plans.
The meeting, held on Tuesday and attended by Jehan Saleh, economic adviser to the Prime Minister, focused on the government’s efforts to localise the automotive industry, increase its contribution to GDP, and align with GM’s expansion strategy in the Egyptian market.
Farid highlighted the government’s broader agenda to localise industrial production, boost exports, attract foreign direct investment, and enhance the competitiveness of the automotive sector and its feeder industries. He underscored the strategic partnership with General Motors, which has maintained a long-standing presence in Egypt and produced more than one million vehicles locally.
The minister noted that GM’s operations have generated around 1,300 direct jobs and over 30,000 indirect jobs, reflecting sustained investor confidence in Egypt’s market and its ability to attract long-term industrial investments.
Discussions also reviewed the status of GM’s investments in Egypt, which exceed $530m, including approximately $50m allocated to robotic systems and advanced manufacturing technologies aimed at enhancing production efficiency.
Farid pointed out that local content levels in some vehicle models now exceed 60%, supporting the state’s strategy to deepen industrial localisation and increase reliance on domestically produced components.
He added that the ministry is working to develop a comprehensive export incentive framework to maximise the advantages of Egypt’s strategic geographic position as a regional production and export hub serving African and Middle Eastern markets. Improving the competitiveness of locally manufactured products, he stressed, remains central to expanding Egypt’s export footprint.
Farid reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continued coordination with General Motors, pledging full support for expanding its investments in the automotive sector and scaling up industrial exports in line with national development priorities.
For her part, Nishi described Egypt as a key pillar in the company’s long-term regional strategy, citing its strategic location and skilled workforce.
She noted that General Motors is implementing a forward-looking plan that includes launching new vehicle models aligned with evolving market dynamics, while expanding production capacity to meet domestic demand and support export growth.
An Indian crew member was killed after an oil tanker was struck by an unmanned drone boat off the coast of Oman, triggering a fire and forcing the evacuation of all crew on board, officials confirmed on Monday, as hostilities between Israel and Iran continued to escalate across the region.
The Sultanate of Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said the incident occurred about 52 nautical miles northwest of Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat Governorate on Saturday (March 1). The tanker, identified as MKD VYOM, flying the flag of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, was carrying approximately 59,463 metric tonnes of cargo at the time of the attack.
According to officials, the unmanned vessel hit the tanker, causing a fire and explosion in the main engine room. One crew member, an Indian national, died in the incident.
The vessel had 21 crew members on board, including 16 Indians, four Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian. All survivors were evacuated by the merchant ship MV SAND, which sails under the flag of Panama, in coordination with the Maritime Security Centre.
The Royal Navy of Oman has deployed a vessel to monitor the damaged tanker and is issuing navigational warnings to ships transiting the area. Authorities have not yet disclosed who was behind the attack.
Iran has warned vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway to the Persian Gulf, and is suspected of launching multiple maritime attacks as the Middle East war intensified following major US and Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic.
Earlier, a Palau-flagged oil tanker Skylight, carrying 15 Indian nationals among its crew, was struck near Oman’s Musandam peninsula, injuring four people.
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