In a commentary, Senior Analyst at NTU’s RSIS Zi Yang said there has been a surprising solidarity between Middle-Eastern states and China in the face of the COVID-19 situation – such as through message of support and aid donations, which he said are very much influenced by economic considerations of course. The downside is that such countries that are closely engaged with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) could in the future introduce stricter scrutiny for the entry of its labourers.