China is emerging as a major supplier of water technology to parched countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, as shrinking natural supplies at home push Beijing to invest heavily in manufactured freshwater, industry experts say.

Chinese firms are selling desalination membranes, filtration equipment and engineering services to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, often through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which connects Chinese capital and infrastructure projects to developing markets.

Even Gulf states, long desalination pioneers, are turning to Chinese manufacturers to produce equipment at scale.

China exported more than $2 billion of water filtering and purifying machinery in 2025, up 25 per cent from $1.6bn in 2020, according to UN Comtrade.

Vontron Technology said it shipped more than 30,000 seawater desalination membranes to BRI countries last year, enough for more than 300,000 tons of daily capacity. In January, PowerChina said it was building a water supply project in Tanzania to serve more than 450,000 people.

At home, Beijing has made water security a strategic priority.

Spending on water conservancy has grown faster than military spending since 2015, according to China Water Risk (CWR), a Hong Kong-based think tank. It now exceeds 1.2 trillion yuan ($170bn) a year, which CWR says rivals China’s central military budget.

A crisis at home

The push is rooted in domestic risk. In August, a massive collapse of ice and rock near the border between Nepal and Tibet showed how volatile natural water sources are becoming.

Tibet’s “water towers” feed headwaters for nearly 2bn people across South, Southeast and East Asia, and climate change is eroding them. Meanwhile, severe over-extraction in northern China has depleted groundwater and left key farming regions with systemic deficits.

“We could see peak water by 2050 across 10 major river systems that provide water to one in two Asians as glacier melt peaks and river flows decline,” CWR said.

Peak water is the tipping point where flows from natural water sources reach a maximum and thereafter enter continual decline.

“This will put almost half the GDP of 16 countries at risk, including China, CWR said.

Benjamin Horton, dean of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong, said China’s ability to develop water technology at scale could cut costs for other water-stressed countries. He said Beijing could become Asia’s leading provider of practical water security solutions.

“Through the Belt and Road Initiative, there is likely to be continued demand for hydropower, desalination, flood forecasting, irrigation, wastewater treatment, and climate-resilient infrastructure,” he said.

Water as national security

In July, China rolled out new regulations under its Five-Year Plan that treat water as a pillar of national security and economic self-reliance, not just an environmental issue.

Surface water supplies about 80pc of China’s freshwater, while recycled water, desalinated seawater and harvested rainwater provide just 3pc to 4pc. Authorities have pledged to raise that share.

The South-North Water Transfer Project moves billions of cubic meters from the Yangtze to the dry north, but it is constrained by energy costs and shrinking surpluses in the warming Yangtze basin.

Saleh Al Khabti, China president of Saudi developer Acwa, said costs are rising and quality is deteriorating in some areas.

China operated 167 seawater desalination projects at the end of 2025, with total capacity of 3,076,805 tonnes a day, up 221,283 tonnes from 2024, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. State media put the average production cost at 4 to 8 yuan per cubic meter.

Industry reports expect the market to grow from $1.84bn in 2024 to $4.66bn in 2033, or about 11pc a year.

Hurdles remain, including the scale of investment and the central planning needed for multi-city conveyance grids, while public attitudes also pose a challenge.

Khabti said many Chinese still view drinking desalinated water as taboo, though local governments are keen to build capacity.

Foreign players buying in

Khabti said more than 90pc of the renewable equipment Acwa procures comes from Chinese manufacturers, and the company buys about 70pc of its global water equipment from Chinese suppliers.

Acwa has pledged to invest up to $30bn in China by 2030, working with firms including PowerChina and China Energy Engineering Corporation. It plans to spend at least $15bn a year on Chinese equipment over the next three years across renewables, green hydrogen and desalination.

Khabti expects Chinese membrane makers to catch up fast.

“It took us 15 years to reach where we are today with our partners,” he said.

He thinks Chinese original equipment manufacturers could match that level in two to three years, and he expects desalination to follow wind and solar as “a big area of exports.”

“We’re very bullish about China,” he said. “Once it’s there, China will be the leader.”

England’s Harry Brook smashed the fastest double-century in One-Day International (ODI) history and became the first Englishman to score 200 in the format but Sri Lanka sealed a two-wicket win in their tri-series clash with one ball to spare in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

The 27-year-old captain rewrote the record books by racing to his double hundred in 114 balls, surpassing the previous mark of 117 deliveries set by India’s Shubman Gill.

In the process, Brook also eclipsed England’s highest individual ODI score of 182, held by all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Brook’s scintillating performance ended with the final ball of England’s innings when he was caught by Sahan Arachchige off the bowling of Janith Liyanage.

He made 202 from 116 deliveries, peppering the Sri Lanka attack with 21 fours and 10 sixes before departing to warm applause from the crowd.

The defeat leaves England bottom of the standings after losing both their matches, with Brook saying they need to win their next two games to reach the final in Lahore.

“Unfortunately, it (the record) doesn’t matter now. I thought we were going to be in a good position but, unfortunately, it doesn’t even count,” Brook said.

“Heart-breaking. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. It’s very disappointing that we haven’t been able to defend 430, but that’s life, that’s cricket,” he added.

“You don’t see many teams chase down 430 and hats off to Sri Lanka. They’ve played exceptionally well. We couldn’t execute our skills enough with the ball and, again, they’ve just played an absolute blinder there.

“We’ll have a good chat about it now and over the next couple of days. We’ve got a good opportunity in the next couple of games to really try and get to that final in Lahore.”

Joe Root provided strong support with 69 off 66 balls as England piled up 429-4.

But the total proved insufficient as Sri Lanka completed the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history.

Pavan Rathnayake top-scored with 130 from 106 deliveries, while opener Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka both fell three runs short of centuries.

Needing six runs from the final two deliveries, Sri Lanka sealed victory when Liyanage launched Josh Tongue over long-off for six, leaving Brook’s record-breaking innings all in vain.

Tongue was England’s most successful bowler with 3-79.

England lost by 87 runs at the same venue in Rawalpindi on Tuesday to Pakistan, who lead the table with two wins from two.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday forecast a sharp drop in economic output in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa this year due to the US-Israeli-led war against Iran, followed by a rebound to 6.6 per cent growth in 2027, while warning that further energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook.

The IMF said the region’s output was expected to contract by 1.3pc as a result of the war’s impact on energy production, shipping, tourism, trade and confidence. Economic output would increase sharply in 2027, but output in those economies would generally stay below pre-war projections.

The war’s impact had been substantial, but uneven, with oil-exporting economies directly affected by disruptions to energy production and shipping hit harder, and oil importers proving to be more resilient, the IMF said in its regional outlook released Thursday in Dubai.

The IMF said its baseline assumed that the conflict would abate in early 2027 and that trade would gradually normalise during the year, but it said the outlook remained clouded by “exceptionally high uncertainty.”

“The main risks derive from further disruption to energy production and trade routes that could drive energy prices higher,” the IMF said in a statement outlining its key messages, noting external financial conditions could also tighten.

External financial conditions could also tighten if investors reassess AI-driven productivity gains and interest rates rise further amid heightened concerns about inflation and fiscal positions, it said.

Oil importers had proven more resilient, with domestic demand supported by remittances and tourism flows, favourable financial conditions, and prompt policy responses that safeguard consumers from higher commodity prices, the IMF said.

Growth in the Caucasus and Central Asia was moderating toward a more sustainable pace, the IMF said, forecasting a 5.2pc rise in economic output in 2026 and 5pc in 2027.

The IMF underscored the mantra it delivered during last week’s annual meetings, urging policymakers to prioritise maintaining price stability, while preserving fiscal sustainability, maintaining central bank independence and enacting structural reforms to boost productivity and create jobs.

Early voting has been underway for weeks ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, when US voters will elect members of the House of Representatives and Senate and governors in states across the country.

Held in the middle of each four-year presidential term, the midterms by definition do not involve the president. But for anyone who thinks they lack drama or importance this year, consider these two statistics: More than 100 million people likely will cast ballots in this year’s midterm voting, if turnout is anything like the previous midterm in 2022; and as of October 12, a record $3.8 billion had been spent on political advertisements that have been aired so far.

Top spending is in battleground US Senate races in Texas, Ohio and Michigan, according to AdImpact, which tracks the activities.

Elon Musk alone has spent about $366m to support Republicans, according to campaign finance records.

Still, midterms generally attract fewer voters than the higher-profile presidential races. More than 155m votes were cast in the 2024 presidential election, for example.

Control of Congress at stake

Plenty is at stake in this midterm election as Democrats try to win majority control of the US Congress.

Currently, Republicans hold a 218-214 majority in the House, where there are two vacancies and one independent who caucuses with Republicans. Democrats must win a net gain of four seats to win control.

Democrats are also fighting to win the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. They must net four additional seats to get control. Ten races, including those in Maine, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and Georgia, could decide the outcome.

Can midterms affect the presidency?

Midterm elections generally are dangerous territory for the political party that holds the White House and/or Congress. For 2026, that means that President Donald Trump and his Republicans controlling the US Senate and House of Representatives are in perilous political positions.

The midterms can be an opportunity for voters to, in effect, grade the president’s performance, and possibly trigger White House course corrections if they receive low marks.

Midterm election results can also give aspiring presidential candidates hints on how to tailor their messages to voters in the next presidential campaign, which in this case will be in 2028.

What are polls showing?

Approval of Trump’s performance is at an all-time low of 32 per cent, according to a September Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Domestic issues like rising consumer prices are likely to have an impact on the outcome of many races and could erode support for Republicans.

At the same time, there is evidence that Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting this year than Republicans. If early voting trends continue, it could point to a Democratic win in November.

There are also signs that Latino voters who veered to Trump in 2024 might be returning to Democrats because of frustration over the economy and some of Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics.

However, a landslide for the Democrats is far from assured. Republicans could benefit from continued scepticism towards Democrats, a Republican spending advantage on campaigns, and fears from moderate voters over some primary wins by left-wingers.

Recent midterm history

Recent history tells the story of the shockwaves a midterm election can produce.

In the 2010 midterms, during the Democratic presidency of Barack Obama, Republicans scored major victories, winning 63 additional House seats amid an underperforming US economy and weak support for Obama’s landmark healthcare reform legislation. Democrats lost their majority. In the Senate, they held onto control despite losing six seats.

The Republican wave was a “shellacking,” Obama lamented at the time. He subsequently faced Republican demands for significant reductions to non-defence spending.

Democrats returned the favour in 2018, with Trump in the White House. They gained a net total of 40 House seats, but lost a net two Senate seats.

This year’s elections also have races for governors in 36 of the 50 states and voting in nearly every state for seats in their state-level legislative bodies.
Currently, Republicans control 55pc of state legislative seats across the country, while Democrats hold 43.8pc, according to Ballotpedia.

Who will be speaker?

If Democrats manage to win the House, the next speaker second in line for the presidency after the vice president is likely to be Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York. He is currently the House Democratic leader.

Jeffries, who would become the first Black American to hold the powerful office, would be in a position to direct House committees to launch investigations into a range of controversial activities by Trump and his associates. Jeffries repeatedly has said Democrats would look into what he has called “unprecedented levels of corruption” during the Trump administration.

Jeffries also would steer Democrats’ legislative priorities through the House. He has said Democrats would focus on making healthcare, groceries, housing, energy and other costs more affordable.

A Republican win, on the other hand, would ensure that the speaker’s gavel remains in that party’s hands, either with current speaker Mike Johnson or whichever Republican prevails if he is challenged for the job. Republican priorities are likely to be focused on additional tax cuts, huge increases in defence spending, and deeper social safety net reductions, building on Trump’s 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Marquee races

Among the most-watched House races are Republican Representative Mike Lawler’s bid for reelection to a New York district that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won in her 2024 presidential campaign and an open seat in a Nebraska swing district where farmers and truckers face sharply higher fuel prices as a result of the US war against Iran.

Also high on Democrats’ list of House seats they hope to take from Republicans are two in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey.

Hovering over all of this are questions over whether Trump will try to meddle in the elections, which are administered by the 50 individual states.

Since 2020, he has repeatedly insisted there is widespread cheating in US elections, despite a lack of evidence. State election officials and Democrats in Congress have been preparing for possible legal challenges to any moves by his administration to try to intervene.