US unpredictability tops Middle East's list of risks: Gulf expert

The unpredictability of the United States is the biggest risk facing the Middle East, a Gulf expert said.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Abdulaziz Sager, chairman and founder of the Gulf Research Center, warned that Iran's attacks on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries pose a global threat, and without collective security agreement, the region's already high conflict will worsen.

"Concern should be for everybody. When Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf country have been attacked by Iran, that has an impact globally, and not only to the region here. And without having a collective security effort whereby all parties agree how to deal with such challenges, and deal with such a threat, I think situation will deteriorate. And as we have seen it today, starting from end of February until today, the conflict in the region remains high," he said.

Sager also identified U.S. unpredictability as the Middle East's biggest risk, citing U.S. government's tendency to start wars without consulting the region.

"My biggest risk in the region is, I call it, the U.S. unpredictability. When I have U.S. unpredictability in terms of decision, what is it they want, they start the war without consulting the region, without taking the region opinion in mind, and we had to pay for that one," Abdulaziz Sager said.

Tensions across the region have been heightened since Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran. During the fighting, Iranian airstrikes hit military and civilian sites in Gulf Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

US unpredictability tops Middle East's list of risks: Gulf expert

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Botswana's President Duma Gideon Boko in Beijing on Thursday to discuss relations between their two countries.

At the meeting, Li said China and Botswana enjoy long-standing and profound friendship, recalling that Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Boko on Tuesday, drawing up a new blueprint for deepening bilateral relations.

China is willing to work with Botswana to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen mutual support, deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, enhance cooperation in mining, digital, green and cultural fields, and jointly promote development and rejuvenation, Li said.

China is also willing to closely unite and collaborate with African countries to implement the outcomes of the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and inject more impetus into the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future, the Chinese premier said. For his part, Boko said Botswana firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to make good use of the zero-tariff treatment offered by China to expand practical cooperation in various fields such as trade.

Botswana supports the four major global initiatives proposed by Xi -- the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) -- and is willing to have close multilateral collaboration with China, Boko said.

At the invitation of Xi, Boko is on a state visit to China from Oct 12 to 17.

Chinese premier meets Botswana's president on relations