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UAEU-CASS Symposium

on Communication, Integration, and Prosperity

Understanding the Legacy of the Great Silk Road under the theme of Year of Zayed

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Inauguration Ceremony of the Center for China Studies Symposium Title Communication, Integration, and Prosperity - Understanding the Legacy of the Great Silk Road Date & Time: Oct 24th, 2018 10:00 - 16:00 Venue: IT Auditorium (Female Campus), UAEU Conference Organizers College of Humanities and Social Sciences, UAEU, UAE Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Description and Objective The Great Silk Road is a system of caravan routes and maritime routes developed over thousands of years connecting Eurasian and African continents. The thriving of the Great Silk road is an evidence of the trade and cultural ties between people and countries located along the way. Besides the exchange of exotic and precious commodities, the constant movement and mixing of populations in these routes also brought about the transmission of knowledge, ideas, cultures, and beliefs, which had a profound impact on the history and civilizations of the peoples in the region. One of the values of Year of Zayed is human development, as Sheikh Zayed believed that investing in people’s welfare, knowledge and capabilities would produce the greatest dividends for individuals, families and society. The objective of this symposium is to provide a platform for scholars to exchange ideas and research on how the legacy of the Great Silk Road influences areas in humanities and social sciences. Topics of research can cover but are not limited to history, archeology, culture, language, literature, religion, art, communication, and international relations. We welcome original studies from multiple conceptual frameworks, methodologies, and levels of analysis. We encourage participants to addresses current global issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.

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UAEU-CASS Symposium Program

10:00 -10:20 Welcome and Opening Speech Prof. Mohammed Albaili, Vice Chancellor, UAEU Mr. Dachuan Han, Deputy Secretary-General, CASS

10:20 -10:30 Inauguration Ceremony of the Center for China Studies

10:30 -11:00 Keynote Speech: China - Gulf Relations in the Belt and Road Era Dr. Jonathan Fulton, Zayed University

11:00 -11:20 Tea/Coffee Break

11:20 -13:30 Session I: China-Arab Relations: The Legacy of the Great Silk Road Chair: Dr. Shaojin Chai, University of Sharjarh

BRI and the UAE: Scope for strategic security cooperation Dr. Narayanappa Janardhan, Emirates Diplomatic Academy

Development and Cooperation for Peace in the Middle East: A Perspective of China Prof. Guoqing Yu, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, CASS

Engaging the Silk Road Maps: Cartographic Perspective Dr. Naeema Al Hosani, Department of Geography, UAEU

China-Egypt’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Perspective of BRI Initiative Prof. Jiankang Bi, Institute of World History, CASS

13:30 - 14:30 Lunch Break

14:30 - 15:40 Session II: Sheikh Zayed’s Vision of Human Development & A Community of Shared Future For Mankind Chair: Prof. Xinfeng Li, IWAAS, CASS

Viewing Zayed’s Thought through a Perspective of Cross-Cultural Understanding and Studies Prof. Yihong Liu, Institute of Philosophy, CASS

Three Portuguese documents on trade and taxation in the Arabian sea Dr. Adriaan De Man, Department of History & Archeology, UAEU

Energy Cooperation between China and Arab Countries Dr. Dong Liu, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, CASS

China-UAE relationship and The Belt and Road Initiative Dr. Fei Tong, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, CASS

15:40 - 16:00 Closing Ceremony

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UAEU-CASS Symposium

on Communication, Integration, and Prosperity

Understanding the Legacy of the Great Silk Road under the theme of Year of Zayed

Presentation Topics and Abstracts

Keynote Speech: China – Gulf Relations in the Belt and Road Era Dr. Jonathan Fulton, Zayed University

In recent years, China has transitioned from a marginal to a major partner for each of the Gulf states. Building upon a foundation of trade, the relationships have become increasingly complex and dense, incorporating finance and investment, political and diplomatic cooperation, military training and exchanges, and cultural and educational programs. As the Gulf states’ ‘Vision’ development programs and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) create synergy, opportunities for deeper cooperation increase. This is compounded by a series of strategic partnerships signed between China and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf states. This keynote presentation begins with a brief historical overview of the China-Gulf relationship, emphasizing that both domestic and strategic forces were responsible for bringing the two sides closer together. It then analyzes the relationships in the Belt and Road era, providing an overview of the BRI and its importance in China’s foreign policy, and then discussing the five cooperation priorities of the BRI (policy coordination, facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds) to demonstrate the depth of China-Gulf relations. It concludes with remarks about what we can expect about the future of China’s role in the Gulf.

Session I China-Arab Relations: The Legacy of the Great Silk Road

BRI and the UAE: Scope for strategic security cooperation Dr. Narayanappa Janardhan, Emirates Diplomatic Academy

Seldom does the literature and discussion on UAE-China relations focus beyond the expanding economic ties. Exploring the ‘what next’ dimension of this engagement reveals tentative, but interesting, attempts to diversify towards ‘strategic’ cooperation that offers alternative possibilities for UAE-Gulf security and stability in the long term. The proposed presentation explores how the UAE becoming a part of the Belt and Road Initiative could serve as an incentive for China to get involved in the region’s political and security dynamics.

Development and Cooperation for Peace in the Middle East: A Perspective of China Prof. Guoqing Yu, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, CASS

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Several key issues in the peace process talks are so complex that it is difficult to reach a package agreement, such as: Jewish settlements issue, Jerusalem issue, Palestine refugees issue, Palestinian statehood issue, etc. Perhaps only with a developmental and forward-looking vision can these difficult problems be solved step by step. China has solved the territorial problems left over from history by using the political innovation thinking of "one country, two systems". In fact, it is using a kind of development and forward looking thinking to resolve the conflict. The solution to the conflict can draw on this kind of political innovation: for example, in the form of "two states share one capital" To promote the start of the Peace Process through Development and Cooperation: let all parties concerned see the opportunity to improve their lives through economic development and cooperation, and let the people see the hope of future life. China’s Belt and Road initiative can provide a platform for cooperation and development among the countries of the Middle East and contribute to the Middle East peace process. For example, China, Jordan and Palestine could promote the establishment of industrial parks to create jobs for the Palestinian and local people, improve the lives of the Palestinian people and create conditions for the peace process.

Engaging the Silk Road Maps: Cartographic Perspective Dr. Naeema Al Hosani, Department of Geography, UAEU

Historically, the Silk Road is a network of trade routes connecting East and West. It played a vital role in the construction of cultural bridges between different civilizations across time. Maps were integral part of the historical process which characterize the establishment and development of the Silk Roads. Maps portraying the silk road trajectories were considered as a key element which left its impact on many cultural and commercial exchanges between different counties located on the Silk Road. As a catalyst which participated in the integration of various civilizations and resulting into the sharing of knowledge among different nations, the construction of maps during the Silk Road golden time should be revisited in order to illustrate their significance from different perspectives. The Silk Road generated a milieu of human knowledge where philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, geography and cartography are integrated within a trans-cultural venue promoting values of dialogue and shared interests. Within this context and in the light of recent studies on the topic, the paper will approach the Silk Road through different ancient maps during different historical periods. It will illustrate the description of the Silk Road by a multiplicity of well-established cartographers. The paper argues that, maps and charts that have been produced over centuries have impacted each other triggering crucial events and bringing about a great development in the geographical scope. These 4 ancient maps have crucially contributed to the creation of a trans-cultural dialogue that leads to reconciliation rather than conflict of civilizations. Undoubtedly, these maps are valuable testimonies serving as witness to cultural exchange throughout the history of the Silk Road. Keywords: silk road, cartography, ancient period, civilization

China-Egypt’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Perspective of BRI Initiative Prof. Jiankang Bi, Institute of World History, CASS

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As a regional power and developing country with ancient civilizations, China and Egypt are politically mutual trusting, economically complementary. In 1956, Egypt took the lead to establish diplomatic relations with China among the Middle East and African countries. Henceforth the two countries have shared common or similar interests and political stances in regional and international issues, mutually supporting each other’s core interests. In 1999, China and Egypt formally established strategic partnership for twenty-first Century, which was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2014. The Belt and Road Initiative, launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, has been injecting new momentum into the strategic partnership. The sustainable and fruitful development co-operations between the two countries in the framework of BR Initiative per se is the substance of the comprehensive strategic partnership. In June 2014, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won the presidency and was re-elected as president this year, makes Egypt gradually stepping into the road of stability and development. The leaderships of China and Egypt have strong political will to advance BR programs. In the beginning of September of 2018, Al-Sisi and the accompanying Egyptian business delegation signed agreements that will increase Chinese investments in Egypt by $18.3 billion during Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, yet there are many difficulties and challenges waiting for the governments and business community of China and Egypt.

Session II: Sheikh Zayed’s Vision of Human Development & A Community of Shared Future For Mankind

Viewing Zayed’s Thought through a Perspective of Cross-Cultural Understanding and Studies Prof. Yihong Liu, Institute of Philosophy, CASS

Doing research works on Zayed’s thought is totally brand new field for me to step in while the book entitled as With United Strength benefits me a lot in understanding the details of Shaikh Zayed’s principles and social thought in terms of “academic and objective standard” as Shaikh Mohamod highlights in the Preface. Viewing Zayed’s Thought through Perspective of Cross-Cultural Understanding and Studies, we can see that the methodology adopted in demonstrating the roots and the background is a sort of intercultural philosophical analysis, which includes various aspects of social conditions, cultural circumstances and their historical evolution. A classical way in term of the philosophy of history which was founded by the great Muslim living at the medieval time named Ibn Khaldun has been practiced in this book and will testify and enrich this classical theory. Comparative studies locate at the core of such a methodology. Taking this significant work as a base, the further researches in a broaden vision would improve the understanding and studies on cross eastern and western civilizations in terms of the cultural origins and their evolutions going along with historical human developments.

Three Portuguese documents on trade and taxation in the Arabian sea Dr. Adriaan De Man, Department of History & Archeology, UAEU

The 16th century witnessed sharp reconfigurations of trade administration in the Arabian sea, which included intricate and volatile arrangements between the Portuguese crown and local authorities. Several documents illustrate both reactive and strategic solutions for managing the old, interregional trade routes of a maritime Silk Road.

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Energy Cooperation between China and Arab Countries Dr. Dong Liu, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, CASS

The Energy Cooperation between China and Middle Eastern Countries includes 3 aspects: traditionally in the Petroleum and Gas sectors and the newly emerging in the Solar energy sector. Energy cooperation between China and Middle Eastern Countries in the petroleum sector is of the paramount importance, calculated by value, 49.3% of China’s imported crude oil come from the Middle Eastern Countries in 2017. However, the share of Middle Eastern crude gradually decreased in recent several years while China diversify its oil import, and during 2012~2017, the share of Middle eastern crude decreased from 54.8% to 49.3%, while the exact share increased from 53.8% to 58.7% between 2007 to 2011. And cooperation in the gas sector follows the same pattern with crude, the share of Middle Eastern gas in China’s total gas imports decreases from 33.5% to 23.0% between 2012~2017. Share decrease plus oil and gas prices went down, the total value of China’s crude import from Middle Eastern Countries decrease from $121.4 billion to $81.8 billion, as well as the China’s gas import from Middle Eastern Countries decreased from $5.6 billion to $4.5 billion. And When cooperation within the tradition energy sectors losing momentums, cooperation between China and Middle Eastern Countries in the renewable energy sectors was gaining the strength, the value of China’s photovoltaic cells exports to the Middle Eastern countries increased from $132 million to $716 million between 2012 to 2017, the annual increase rate was as high as 52.6%, and the share of Middle Eastern countries in China’s total photovoltaic cells export increased from 0.75% to 4.3% during the same period. The above mentioned changes related to trade flow of energy products means that energy cooperation between China and Middle Eastern countries was gradually transit from one-way pattern to two-way solution.

China-UAE relationship and The Belt and Road Initiative Dr. Fei Tong, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, CASS The United Arab Emirates is the first Gulf Arab country to establish a strategic partnership with China. Mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the U.A.E is also the most extensive and in-depth in the Middle East region. China-U.A.E relationship has developed rapidly since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the year of 1984, especially in the field of economic cooperation. The UAE has become China's second largest trade partner in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates has a wealth of oil resources and superior strategic position, it’s the transportation hub and financial center of the Gulf region. and it is an important gateway and logistics hub for Chinese goods to enter the market of the Middle East and African Countries. To implement the Belt and Road strategy with the UAE combined with a high degree of cooperation at the national level, and foundation of cooperation between the two countries is deep. And at the same time, this kind of cooperation is also faced with certain risks. By taking corresponding measures, to cooperate "the Belt and Road" strategy with the UAE can make a win-win situation, achieving fruitful results. This situation can not only to promote the economic cooperation between China and UAE in depth, but also to strengthen bilateral political trust and support. having a good demonstration effect and far-reaching strategic significance to the countries along “the Belt and Road” line.

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Keynote Speaker

Dr. Jonathan Fulton is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University.

He is the author of “China’s Relations with the Gulf Monarchies” and co-editor of “External

Powers and the Gulf Monarchies” both published by Routledge in August, 2018. He has

extensive research and publication on China-Gulf relations and China’s The Belt and Road

Initiative. His analysis also appeared on Washington Post, South China Morning Post, The

Diplomat and other media outlets.

Dr. Jonathan received his Ph. D. in Political Science at University of Leicester, United

Kingdom, M. A. on International Policy and Diplomacy, Staffordshire University, United

Kingdom, and M.Ed., University of Southern Queensland, Australia, and B. A., Political

Science, Dalhousie University, Canada. Dr. Jonathan has taught in Cheju National

University, Kyung Hee University in South Korea and has been working and teaching at

Zayed University since 2006.

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Session Speakers

Dr N. Janardhan is a Senior Research Fellow in Gulf-Asia Programme at the Emirates

Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi. With over 20 years of regional expertise, he analyzes and

unravels the evolving multi-dimensional partnerships between the countries of the Gulf and

Asia.

His academic publications include – A New Gulf Security Architecture: Prospects and

Challenges for an Asian Role (ed., Gerlach); India and the Gulf: What Next? (ed., Gulf

Research Center Cambridge); and Boom amid Gloom: Spirit of Possibility in the 21st Century

Gulf (Ithaca).

With a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Dr Janardhan is also

Managing Assistant Editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies (Routledge).

In his previous stints, he has served as a political analyst in government and private

institutions in the United Arab Emirates and India.

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Prof. Yu Guoqing is a Professor at Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS),

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Born in October 1964 in Zhejiang Province of China. Prof. Yu received his B.A. degree

(1987) in Hangzhou Teacher’s College and M.A. degree (1991) in the Graduate School of

CASS in International Politics. He started as an Assistant Professor in IWAAS, CASS from

2000 to the present.

From Sept, 1998 to Sept, 1999, he served as a visiting scholar in the Near Eastern Studies,

Princeton University, USA.

His Major Field of Study are: International politics and relations in the Middle East and

Major powers’ policy towards the Middle East

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Dr. Naeema Alhosani, obtained her Ph. D. (2009), and her M.A. (2005) in

Geography "Cartography" from the University of Kansas, USA. Currently, she is

department chair since Aug. 2017, as well as she was an assistant dean for student

affairs in CHSS from 2013-2017. She has many awards. Her research interests are:

Cartography, Maps & Mapping, Map Conception & Development, Map scale,

Cartographic Design, Information Design, Practicum in Cartography, Problems in

Production map, Cartography and Environment, GIS, Remote Sensing, and

Education. Dr. Naeema has participated in many conferences (both regional and

international) and research projects as well as maps publications, besides being a

member of many professional committees. Also she is affiliated to many

professional associations. She has various contributions at the departmental,

College, University and Community levels.

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Prof. Jiankang Bi, born in 1967, is a research fellow (professor, Ph D. candidate

supervisor) in Institute of World History(IWH), Chinese Academy of Social

Sciences(CASS). He started his Ph.D. education in 1996 at The Graduate School of CASS in

Beijing, and spent two years to learn Arabic at the Department of Arabic Language, Beijing

Foreign Studies University from 1996 to 1998. Then he studied at the Faculty of Political

Economy, Cairo University from 1998 to 2000. In 2002 he finished his Ph. D. education with

the dissertation A Study on Contemporary Egypt’s Political Stability Issue. His research

interests included early history of U.S.A. and U.S.A.’s economic diplomacy after World War

Ⅱ. From the middle of 1990s on, his researches have focused on modern and contemporary

Egyptian history and Middle East studies. He published two monographs: 1. Egyptian

Modernization and Political Stability. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press(China),2005.

2. Anglo-American Neo-colonialism (collaborator), the first edition published in 1999, and

the second edition published in 2007 both by Social Sciences Academic Press (China).

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Professor Yihong Liu is a professor from Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of

Social Sciences. She is the Director of Project Arabic and Islamic Studies, CASS. She was

trained in Peking University, Cairo University, Columbia University (NYC) for Arabic,

Islamic studies and Comparative studies; She has worked at Chinese embassy in Kuwait and

Chinese delegation at UN for years; she is also a visiting scholar at Harvard and Yale

Divinity School; She has attended International Conferences on Dialogue among

Civilizations held in Tehran representing Alliance of Civilizations (AOC) at UN; She also

lectured at world famous universities such as Columbia University, The New School(NYC),

City University of Hong Kong, Cairo University, Ain Shames University(EGY), The Highest

Council of Culture of Cairo; She has published English and Chinese books and papers on

Islamic thoughts, Chinese Islamic Art and Dialogue between Islamic and Chinese traditional

thoughts.

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Dr. Adriaan De Man is Associate Professor and Chair, Department of History and

Archaeology. Before joining the UAEU, he taught at the Europeia and Nova universities,

both in Lisbon, Portugal. He has published mostly on art and archaeology, as well as on

heritage management and tourism. A graduate in Defence and International Relations from

the Military Academy - ISCTE, and an auditor of the Institute for National Defence, he is a

panel member for funding agencies in Belgium, the USA, the Netherlands, Croatia and

Portugal, an evaluator for the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education,

and was a visiting lecturer at the universities of Bordeaux and Leiden. He is a member of the

Asian Academy for Heritage Management and of ICOMOS, an expert member of ICAHM-

International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management, and a former board

member of the Professional Association of Archaeologists.

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Dr. Dong Liu, Associate Professor and Deputy Director of Middle East Studies division

at Institute of West-Asia and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He got

his Ph.D. in World Economics, Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,

Concentration on Energy Economics, World Economics. His master’s is in International

Relation from Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Concentration:

International immigration issues, International Relations. His research field is OPEC

Strategies; Capacity cooperation between China and Arab Countries.

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Dr. Fei Tong, is an Assistant Research Fellow at Institute of West-Asian and African

Studies IWAAS, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences CASS. Born in June 1975 in

Shandong Province of China, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Department of Arabic,

Beijing Second Foreign Languages University, her Master's degree from Department of West

Asian and African Studies, Postgraduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Science, and

Doctor’s degree, Institute of Middle East Studies, University of Northwest. She is an intern

researcher, assistant research fellow, associate research fellow of IWAAS, CASS from 1997

to the present. She studied at Kuwait University, from 2001- 2002 , and served as Third

Secretary at Embassy of People’s Republic of China in the UAE in 2006-2007. She is also a

visiting scholar at London University, UK in 2009 and a visiting scholar at Helsinki

University, Finland in 2011.