"What this means is that if you have a cement factory in three or four countries, you may have to travel from country A to country B via Paris, London or Dubai rather than direct, " says Peaford, editor-in-chief of Arabian Aerospace magazine and online news service.

CNN: Private jets spread their wings in Africa

There shall be freedom of transit for French goods through Haifa and by the British railway through the brown area, whether those goods are intended for or originate in the blue area, area (a), or area (b), and there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect, against French goods on any railway, or against French goods or ships at any port serving the areas mentioned.

BBC: Map detailing the Sykes-Picot agreement

Some U.S. officials and analysts say they now detect a shift in China's position, pointing out that it has backed U.N. sanctions against North Korea, kept quiet about the recent U.S. dispatch of B-2 bombers and F-22 fighter jets to South Korea and allowed unusually direct criticism of Pyongyang in state-controlled its media.

WSJ: U.S.-China Nuclear Silence Leaves a Void