Sino-Arab Economic and Trade Cooperation: Situations, Tasks, Issues and Strategies

Sino-Arab economic and trade cooperation,which started a long time ago,has achieved a great headway since 2004 when it entered the fast track.In 2010,the China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum was established,providing Sino-Arab economic and trade cooperation for further expansion with an effective new platform and mechanism.The main positive factors for their current economic and trade cooperation are:a good basis for cooperation,a strong economic complementarity,a good beginning for bilateral investment cooperation,the existence of common languages,and the accordance with common interests.The principles and ideas for developing future cooperation are:to play out in the role of the China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum,and to treat Sino-Arab bilateral cooperation with a large field of vision;to promote Sino-Arab economic and trade cooperation by enhancing bilateral relations;to pay attention to handling Sino-US relations well when strengthening Sino-Arab economic and trade cooperation;to continue to expand market openness and promote trade liberalization positively;to expand economic and trade cooperation further on the basis of energy cooperation.In order to maintain and protect the growing overseas interests of the Chinese government,a grand strategy of China's foreign should be established.

Invigorating Sino-Arab Relations by“One Belt and One Road”Strategy

This article reviews the development of Sino-Arab relations in the past six decades.Politically,the two sides support each other and safeguard their rights.Economically,the two sides have complementary advantages and advance win-win cooperation.Since the outbreak of the Middle East Turmoil at the end of 2010,China has always paid close attention to the situation in the Arab countries and wishes the unrest in the Arab countries end soon and the stability be recovered.As time goes on,the Arab countries will increase their understandings to China’s position of respecting the national sovereignty and independence,insisting on not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,and standing for the political settlement of disputes.They will come to learn that China is a reliable country.Under the“One Belt and One Road”Strategy,Sino-Arab relations will thrive.

Development of Sino-Arab Relations and the Evolution of China’s Middle East Policy in the New Era

China and the Arab countries enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges.During the Cold War period,significant accomplishments were achieved in their bilateral political cooperation.Recent years have witnessed the great success of comprehensive cooperation toward mutual benefits within the framework of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.However,the turbulence in the Middle East and the U.S.Greater Middle East Initiative have emerged as a new challenge to the future development of bilateral relations.Yet China’s Middle East policy has not remained stagnant;its prompt readjustments have brought momentum to the healthy development of Sino-Arab bilateral relations.

China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in the Last Decade

In the decade after its establishment,the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum has completed its normalized,institutional construction and established more than ten kinds of communication mechanism,such as ministerial meetings,senior officials meeting,business conference and investment seminars,which cover a variety of fields in political,economic,cultural,and humanistic cooperation.It not only enriched the connotation of China-Arab cooperation,but created a new cooperation mode.Therefore,the Arab World and China have developed a relationship of mutual promotion,mutual complementation and sound development multilaterally and bilaterally,officially and privately.The development of the Forum benefited both sides insisting on mutual respect,mutually beneficial cooperation and common development concept.In the next decade,the Forum should deepen strategies,adhere to innovation,emphasize on effectiveness,and create a better tomorrow for the work of the Forum.

China-Arab States Strategic Partnership:Myth or Reality?

Since the establishment of the Chin-Arab States Cooperation Forum(CASCF)in 2004,the two sides have forged special political relations.Such a special relationship,different from that of a military alliance,has strategic attributes of alignment,and has transcended the common state-to-state relations in the world.In the next decade,Sino-Arab strategic cooperation will live through a golden historical opportunity.But,whether the Forum will rise to a formal organization like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO)is determined by two competing factors.The positive factors derive from China and the Arab countries sharing a series of common values,emphasis on national dignity,revitalization,political multi-polarity,diversity of development modes and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs;the negative factors rest on Arab countries having intrinsic internal discords,low integration and divergent attitudes towards the West,particularly since the outbreak of the Arab uprisings.To further promote the strategic relations,China and the Arab States should eliminate the impact of the“Islamic threat”and the“China threat”in their respective media,give priority to each other in their separate overall diplomacy and respect each other’s vital interests.

The Rise of GCC’s Soft Power and China’s Humanities Diplomacy

Since the establishment of the GCC,its member states have been making an effort to strengthen the GCC’s political integration on the basis of the members’active practice of promoting security and economic integrations.During this process,there is a trend that the GCC’s soft power is continuously rising,which is embodied in the following points:strengthening the GCC’s religious and political influences;getting discourse power in the Arab-Islamic affairs;gaining political influence through involvements in regional hot issues;transforming into an Arabic-Islamic alliance of monarchies.On this basis,the article analyzes the major causes of the rise of the GCC’s soft power and puts forward some recommendations for China to deal with it.

The Economic and Trade Factors in China’s National Image in the Arab Countries

In the context of globalization,although governments maintain the leading role in shaping the image of states,the increasing bilateral economic and trade exchanges are gradually becoming an equally important,if not more important,element.The recent years have witnessed a continuous growth of trade between China and Arab countries—a newly established crucial trading partner and platform for practicing the“going-out”strategy.Thanks to both sides complimenting each other,a positive win-win situation has been achieved.However,as more and more Chinese merchandises and enterprises have entered the Arab world,certain problems have emerged,such as poor quality of merchandises,illegal operation of enterprises,and difficulties of certain Chinese employees integrating into local life.These economic and trade elements have become key factors in shaping China’s image in the Arab countries,and hence should not be left unattended.