In Gulf row, Trump is elephant in room

The deep rift between Qatar and major Arab powers has triggered a crisis, arguably the biggest, for the 36-year-old Gulf Cooperation Council. Accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism" and financing "groups" linked to Iran, eight countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic relations and transport links with Qatar despite the latter's vehement denial that it had such links.

China has expressed hope that the Arab states will resolve the dispute through dialogue and consultation, and maintain unity and promote peace and stability in the Middle East. China is the largest trade partner of Qatar, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of China's liquefied natural gas imports.

The unprecedented Gulf row started two weeks after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia on his maiden foreign trip. In a tweet on Tuesday, Trump said his trip to the Middle East was "already paying off", backing Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in their move to isolate Qatar (which ironically is an US ally) to which "all reference" regarding "funding extremism" points.