BEIJING / WAM Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the significance of peace and stability in the Gulf region for the Middle East as well as for the whole world, saying the region should be an “oasis of security” rather than a new “source of turmoil.” “China backs the UAE’s commitment to regional peace and stability,” Xi said, calling on …

Bloomberg The US has sanctioned a Chinese state oil trader for violating restrictions on Iranian crude, an attempt to tighten restrictions on the Islamic Republic and cut off one of its biggest buyers. Zhuhai Zhenrong Co., the secretive company with links to the Chinese military, has a history of taking Iranian crude and fuel, at times as part of barter …

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund further reduced its global growth outlook, already the lowest since the financial crisis, and suggested that policy “missteps” on trade and Brexit could derail a projected rebound. The world economy will expand 3.2 percent this year and 3.5 percent next year, both down 0.1 percentage point from April projections, the fund said in its latest …