Qatar's $524 billion sovereign wealth fund is continuing to explore investment opportunities in China, even as geopolitical tensions push global investors to tread carefully.
The Qatar Investment Authority is 'actively looking at investments in China' but is taking steps to 'avoid situations that potentially jeopardize relations with the US,' said Mohammed Al-Hardan, head of technology, media and telecommunications. 'We can't discount China. It is a very significant market,' he said at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Thursday.
Al-Hardan's comments come amid unease in Washington over a series of artificial intelligence-related deals inked during President Donald Trump's recent tour of the Middle East. The agreements alarmed China hawks within the US administration, who fear American chip technology could be indirectly routed to Chinese partners via Gulf states, Bloomberg News has reported.
The QIA executive defended those deals, saying ensuring access to advanced chips is a 'win-win for the US and the Middle East region.'
Last week, the QIA's chief executive officer pledged to plow in an additional $500 billion in the US over the next decade. That would mean the fund is set to see its annual outlays into America double in coming years.
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