GEO-political pundits have highlighted the growing closeness between Arab states and China, reflecting a complex interplay of economic, diplomatic and shared interest factors. There is a historical aspect like the crucial role that the ancient Silk Road played in facilitating trade and cultural interactions between China and Arab States. Significantly, Chinese inventions such as the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing had a profound impact on Arab civilization. Similarly, Chinese language and literature found their way into Arab lands, creating a rich historical exchange because when Europe was still in the dark ages, Arabs and Chinese were at the epitome of scientific learning and discovery.
Ancient China produced several prominent scholars and thinkers who significantly influenced Chinese philosophy, culture, and education, shaping the way people thought about ethics, governance, and the pursuit of knowledge. They include Confucius, who emphasized ethics, morality, and social harmony; Mencius, who accentuated the innate goodness of human nature and advocated for benevolent governance; Xunzi, who offered a more systematic defense of Confucianism; and Zhuangzi, a Daoist philosopher known for his poetic and imaginative writings. Laozi, the legendary founder of Daoism, wrote the “Tao Te Ching,” which emphasizes simplicity, harmony, and living in accordance with the Dao. Mozi founded Mohism, advocating universal love, practical ethics, and social welfare. Han Feizi, a legalist philosopher, focused on governance and statecraft. Zengzi emphasized filial piety and moral self-cultivation, while Yan Hui was known for his humility and dedication to learning.
Arab scientists and scholars from the Muslim world made significant contributions during the Middle Ages, fostering a golden age of learning in the Islamic world. Notable figures include Ibn Al-Haytham, who made groundbreaking discoveries in optics; Avempace (Ibn Bajjah), a philosopher, astronomer, and physician from Spain; and Ibn Sina (Avicenna), a polymath known for his work in medicine, philosophy, and mathematics. Al-Razi advanced medicine and chemistry, while Al-Khwarizmi introduced algebra and the Arabic-Indic numeral system. Al-Farabi bridged Greek and Islamic thought, and Ibn Rushd wrote extensive commentaries on Aristotle. Al-Biruni contributed to trigonometry and geodesy, Ibn Battuta provided valuable insights into medieval Islamic societies through his travels, and Ibn Khaldun is known for his work on historiography and the rise and fall of civilizations.
In recent years, China-Arab cultural exchanges have flourished, especially within the framework of the new Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has played a significant role in fostering cooperation and connectivity between the two regions. These exchanges span various fields, including culture, education, art, science, technology, health, sports, religion, tourism, press and academic research.
China and Arab states have deepening economic connections. Bilateral trade between the two sides has witnessed remarkable growth, rising from $36.7 billion in 2004 to $431.4 billion in 2022. The Arab region serves as China’s primary source for oil and natural gas, making energy cooperation crucial. China played a pivotal role in facilitating the restoration of Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic ties with Iran, promoting reconciliation among regional countries. Both China and Arab countries uphold mutual assistance, equality and inclusive mutual learning. Yet one aspect that could cloud the growing rapport is how China maintains equilibria in its ties with the Arabs and Israel. Historically, China has supported the Palestinian cause due to cultural values and longstanding ties with Arab countries.
Secondly, while China maintains economic relations with Israel, its trade and economic dependence on Arab states are more substantial. China’s economic interests in the Middle East incentivize it to maintain a balanced approach. Thirdly, China avoids taking sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict directly. It denounces Israeli settlements in occupied territories but refrains from criticizing Hamas attacks. This nuanced stance allows China to engage with both parties, navigating carefully, emphasizing economic cooperation while expressing support for Palestinian rights.
No wonder that at the tenth ministerial conference of the China-Arab States, Cooperation Forum held in Beijing recently saw China aligning its agenda more closely with that of its Arab partners. President Xi made appropriate comments regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war at the forum inaugural: “War should not continue indefinitely; justice should not be absent forever. Commitment to the two-state solution should not be wavered at will.”
During the Summit, Xi proposed the ‘five important cooperation frameworks’. China, along with Arab nations, plans to build joint facilities to pursue research on Artificial Intelligence, green transition, agriculture and information technology. Space is also the new frontier for nations like Saudi Arabia. Encouraged by its recent landing on the far side of the moon, China seeks to cooperate in manned space missions, build joint facilities to monitor space debris and promote the Bei Dou satellite navigation system, which China has positioned as an alternative to the American Global Positioning System (GPS).
Another key area of cooperation is finance and investment, with China pledging special loans to support industrialisation, reciprocated by closer cooperation between financial institutions on both sides, inviting banks to sign up for the Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), which was launched to promote international use of China’s Renminbi in trade settlements.
China is also keen to improve cooperation on the digital currency developed by the People’s Bank of China. On the energy and trade fronts, China has mooted pitching in with research and development in renewable technologies with Chinese energy companies and financial institutions participating in renewable energy ventures in Arab nations. Plans are afoot to expedite the negotiations on bilateral and regional free trade agreements and advance the dialogue mechanism for e-commerce cooperation. In March 2023, China introduced the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI)) as a counter to the US credo on human rights and democracy. China has proposed to build the China-Arab Centre of Global Civilisation Initiative that will see greater synergy between political elites between West Asian nations and China.
—The writer, Retired Group Captain of PAF, is author of several books on China.
