China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had resumed the China-GCC free trade talks and it is hoped that a comprehensive free trade agreement will be concluded within 2016.

ANBOUND's research team believes that the bilateral and multilateral regional trade agreements have gradually replaced the WTO multilateral trade agreements, against such a backdrop, in order to maximize their own interests, many countries have been in active negotiations with one another to conclude bilateral and multilateral regional free trade agreements.

China is working hard to conclude more extensive bilateral and regional free trade agreements.

If China is able to conclude the free trade agreement with GCC, this will give China greater access to the Middle East market and bigger say in the region by strengthening China’s presence in the region’s economy and China’s influence on the region’s politics.