Asian crude oil imports are projected to reach 23.96 million barrels per day in September 2026, supported by shipments from Arabian Gulf exporters. China increased purchases to 8.93 million barrels per day in August 2026, marking a 6.2 percent month-on-month rise. Tanker tracking data confirms an ongoing recovery in maritime energy flows connecting Gulf terminals to Chinese refineries.
Alibaba Cloud has announced plans to expand its data center capacity in the United Arab Emirates and several international markets. Unveiled at the 2026 Apsara Conference in Hangzhou, the initiative aims to meet rising demand for AI workloads and agent-native enterprise applications. The rollout will expand the company's global footprint to 31 regions and 107 availability zones.
The Saudi Tourism Authority has increased initiatives to draw visitors from mainland China and Hong Kong to the Kingdom. The push forms part of Saudi Arabia's plan to direct over $800 billion into its tourism sector to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons. Officials from both sides confirmed commitments to expand cooperation, direct travel links, and trade missions.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has sold at least 30 million barrels of spot crude to Asian refiners and trading houses, trade sources reported. Chinese purchasers Unipec and Rongsheng Petrochemical secured up to 10 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude. The transactions covered Das, Upper Zakum, and Umm Lulu grades for June to August loading.
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