From dhows carrying spices to tankers carrying oil, trade between South Asia and Arabia has been healthy for hundreds of years, with room to grow further.

Sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare have the potential to continue growing as a share of the Gulf states' overall revenue and to provide employment for the future

With populations living longer and oil income expected to start tailing off, the region's recent largesse may need adjusting, as funding for changed demographics could soon become unsustainable

With $175bn worth of annual business between the two blocs, a free trade deal seems only sensible, yet visas and vested commercial interests remain obstacles.

Both China and the Gulf have much to offer one another, especially with the Gulf's thirst for big infrastructure projects and China's thirst for carbon.

Analysis of the diplomatic movement regarding Syria including the positions of Gulf states, Syria's neighbours, world powers, and Turkey