Saudi Arabia, Pakistan reject Trump's Abraham Accords demand

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have reaffirmed that they will not seek normalization of ties with Israel, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's call for the two countries to join the Abraham Accords.

Saudi Arabia's position on the Palestinian issue remains unchanged, a Saudi source told Al Arabiya TV on Monday.

The source affirmed the need for "an irreversible pathway to a Palestinian state".

The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Muslim-majority and regional countries to normalize relations with Israel and join the Abraham Accords before the U.S. reaches a peace agreement with Iran.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it would not normalize relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that Pakistan will not join any agreement to normalize ties with Israel, adding that the country will not accept any deal that "conflicts with its fundamental ideologies".

Trump on Monday urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan -- countries involved in mediating U.S.-Iran talks -- to immediately join the Abraham Accords, warning that otherwise they should not participate in the mediation.

He added that if a U.S.-Iran deal is reached, Iran should also join the agreement.

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States in 2020 during Trump's first term, were established between the Israeli government and Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, aimed at rapidly advancing the normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries.

Before the outbreak of the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, the United States had been pushing for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

After the conflict erupted, Saudi Arabia suspended normalization talks with Israel.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan reject Trump's Abraham Accords demand

The U.S.-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum and the promotion meeting for the 5th China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) was held in Chicago on Thursday, with the participation of over 180 representatives from political and business circles of the two countries.

As the world's first national-level exhibition focusing on supply chains, the CISCE has been an internationally shared public good since the first edition was held in 2023. The fifth edition is expected to be held in 2027.

Attendees at the event noted that the industrial and supply chains of China and the U.S. are deeply intertwined, providing a solid foundation and broad scope for cooperation.

They called on the business community to strengthen exchanges to promote healthy and stable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations.

"The Chinese market is huge. Arguably, China is one of the best manufacturers in the whole world. The supply chain connectivity and the growth of the Chinese market is substantial. So the U.S. and China have to find a way to be able to cooperate because of both our economic size, our competitiveness and ability to use comparative advantages to accelerate both of our economies," said Daniel Bellefleur, vice president of foreign direct investment, Illinois Economic Development Corporation.

"I think the more we learn about each other, the more we are going to see our commonality, and I truly believe that we have a lot to gain by collaboration," said Lori Lightfoot, former mayor of Chicago.

Event held in Chicago to promote 5th China's supply chain expo