Chinese Dragon: A Global Economic Amman: Time Press 2018
Empire Source: It is based on the open sources see (Ajang, 2021Ajang (2021). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.).
Through a series of foreign translation projects Cultural Works Translation and Publishing Project”,
(such as that of Ningxia People’s Publishing House), and the “Contemporary Chinese Works Translation
China has promoted the publication of Chinese clas- Project” were established, which all became impor-
sics in the Arab world. The “Project of Translation of tant platforms for the translation of classics (Bao,
Chinese and Arab Classics”, the “Chinese Academic 2019: 140-160). For instance, Professor Wang You-
Translation Project”, the “Chinese Book Promotion yong of Shanghai International Studies University
Plan”, the “Classic China International Publishing has been committed to the translation of Chinese
Project”, the “Silk Road Book Project”, the “Chinese classics into Arabic for a long time.
In recent years, he has successively translated significantly. This is due to its stability and how the
Arabic versions of Xunzi and Liezi, which have been UAE attaches particular importance to developing the
published and distributed in Lebanon by the Arab tourist industry. As a result, Dubai has become the
Thought Foundation and have had an influence in tourist hub of the Arab world with the fastest-growing
the Arab world. number of Chinese tourists in recent years.
In 2013, at least 270 thousand Chinese tourists visi- Bettering the Mutual Understanding of the
Mass: China-Arab Tourism Cooperation ted the UAE for leisure and business tours; from 2005
to 2015, the number of Chinese tourists to the Emirates
The tourist market in Arab countries has great po- increased by 98% and is expected to reach 540 thou-
tential for development. For example, the Gulf Arab sand by 2030. According to the 2014 China Luxury
countries have become the fastest developing region. Tourist White Paper, Dubai has become the third-lar-
In 2014, the outbound tourism consumption of Ara- gest overseas tourism destination that attracts rich
bian Gulf countries reached US $40 billion, accoun- Chinese tourists. In November 2016, the UAE announ-
ting for 31% of global Muslim tourism consumpti- ced that it would grant visa-free treatment to Chinese
on (Pivac, 2015Pivac (2015). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). Due to long stays, high per capita citizens. According to the statistics of Dubai Tourist
consumption, and high demand for tourist services, Administration, the number of Chinese tourists exce-
tourists from the Arabian Gulf countries have beco- eded 764,000 in 2017, an increase of 41%. On February
me the flashpoint. Strengthening China-Arab tou- 24, 2019, according to statistics released by the Dubai
rism cooperation is of great practical significance in Tourist Bureau, the number of international tourists
promoting the upgrading of China’s existing tourism entering Dubai overnight was 15.92 million, with the
industry, optimizing the source structure of inbound number of Chinese tourists reaching 875 thousand, an
tourists, promoting the diversified development of increase of 12%. China surpassed Oman and became
China’s cultural tourism industry, and further impro- the fourth largest tourist source market of Dubai (Xin-
ving the internationalization level of China’s tourism huanet, 2019d). Emirates is a leading passenger servi-
industry (Pew Research Center, 2011Pew Research Center (2011). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). ce provider of China, operating 38 flights to and from
China every week. According to data from the Ministry
From 2005 to 2015, the number of Tourism of the UAE, the number of Chinese tourists
of Chinese tourists to the Emirates in 2019 represented about 6.04% of the total number
increased by 98% and is expected to of UAE tourists. In the first five months of 2019, the
reach 540 thousand by 2030. number of Chinese tourists to the UAE reached 433
thousand, an increase of 5% (about 401,000) over the
By 2020, 13 Arab countries have become out- same period in 2018. In the past five years, Dubai has
bound tourism destinations for Chinese citizens, and attracted 3.06 million Chinese tourists in total.
tour businesses in nine countries have been officially On June 10, 2018, the UAE contractor, Nakheel
set up (Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai In- (Nasir group), announced in Dubai that it had signed
ternational Studies University & Research Center of a contract with the Chinese company “Beijing Zhon-
CASCF, 2018: 17-18). Fifteen Arab countries boast 61 gke Co., Ltd.” worth 66 million dirhams (US $17.97
world natural and cultural heritage sites recognized by million) to design and build the fountain project on
UNESCO (Wang, 2018Wang (2018). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). In recent years, the number the Palm Island of Dubai (Business Office of the Chi-
of Chinese tourists to Arab countries has increased nese Consulate General in Dubai, 2018).
In May 2018, the Etihad Aviation Group of the In addition to the UAE, other Gulf countries
UAE signed a memorandum of understanding have had a significant increase in Chinese tourists.
with the China Jiangsu Overseas Cooperation For example, since Oman signed a memorandum
and Investment Corporation (JOSIC) to estab- of understanding on tourism with China in 2006,
lish a strategic partnership. Accordingly, due to the number of Chinese tourists to Oman has incre-
its investment in the China-UAE Industrial Park, ased by more than 30% every year, next only to the
Etihad Airlines of the UAE can enjoy preferential UAE. Between 2013 and 2017, Oman has had a sig-
air transportation and freight prices on flights and nificant increase in the number of Chinese tourists.
services between China and other destinations China’s tourists to Arab countries can be divided
through the Group’s network. Etihad Airlines has into three categories in terms of purpose: business,
also become the preferred airline for all operating Hajj, and leisure. Chinese tourists can choose their
companies in the China-UAE Industrial Park (Ne- own tourist routes both online and offline.
tease Airlines, 2018). With the development of tourism in China and
Egypt, which is primarily for leisure, the exchanges and cooperation between China and Egypt’s civil aviation industry are also increasing. There are two direct flights from China to Egypt (from Beijing and Guangzhou to Cairo). According to the data provided by the Egyptian Embassy in Beijing, about 150 thousand Chinese citizens visited Egypt in the first five months of 2017. During this period, Chinese tourists booked 850 thousand nights in Egyptian hotels, an increase of 116% over the same period in 2016 (Egyptian Embassy in China, 2017Egyptian Embassy in China (2017). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). According to the 2018 Chinese Citizens’ Africa Tourism Report released by CYTS travel.com, Egypt has become one of the five most popular destinations for Chinese citizens in Africa (CYTS Travel Network, 2018CYTS Travel Network (2018). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). Egypt regards China as its main source of tourism and thus has successfully formulated projects to promote Egyptian culture in the Chinese market that has doubled the number of Chinese tourists to Egypt. Morocco was the first Arab country that implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese tourists.1 In May 2016, King Mohammed VI visited China following this success and the country has since be- President Xi Jinping (L) holds a welcoming cere-
mony for King Mohammed VI of Morocco, come a primary destination for Chinese citizens to
Beijing, May 11, 2016. (Xinhua, 2016Xinhua (2016). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.) travel to (Wang, 2017: 67).
1 Tunisia subsequently announced the implementation of the landing visa policy for teams with more than 10 Chinese tourists. 35
Song Yu, Secretary-General of the World Tourist concern for the BRI between China and Arab count-
Cities Federation claimed that the total number of ries in the new era.
Chinese tourists to Morocco in 2017 exceeded 100 Interaction between Religious Groups:
thousand and that Morocco has become the country China-Arab Religious Exchanges
with the fastest growth of Chinese tourists in Africa
(Xinhuanet, 2018Xinhuanet (2018). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). There are many reasons for the From the establishment of diplomatic relations betwe-
increase in Chinese tourists to Morocco. First, with en China and Egypt on May 30, 1956, to the estab-
the rise of China’s national strength, the national lishment of diplomatic relations between China and
disposable income has increased; second, Morocco Saudi Arabia on July 21, 1990, China has established
promoted visa exemption for Chinese tourists during diplomatic relations with all 22 member states of the
Chinese Ambassador Sun Shuzhong’s tenure; and Arab League. Over the years, friendly relations betwe-
third, in recent years, direct flights between Moroc- en China and Arab countries have been developing
co and China have been opened, which is one of the continuously, and religious exchanges are an indispen-
key factors that has enhanced Morocco’s attraction to sable part of it. In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping
Chinese tourists. said at the opening ceremony of the eighth Ministerial
Conference of CASCF, China would invite 100 Arab
In 2018, 9,453 Chinese tourists visited religious leaders to visit China for exchange with dif-
ferent religions (“Jointly promote China-Arab”, 2019“Jointly promote China-Arab” (2019). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). Lebanon. In 2019, the number of Religious exchanges help to enrich the cultural exc- Chinese tourists to Lebanon reached hanges between China and Arab countries.
12 thousand, an increase of 22.4%. After the Arab world became an epicenter for
Lebanon is particularly rich in tourism resources. COVID-19, the Muslim community in China
On October 12, 2015, Lebanon held a tourist promo- responded pro-actively to the call of the Chinese
tion activity for China in Beirut, its capital, to stren- government on struggling in unity against the pan-
gthen the cooperation between travel agencies of the demic with Arab countries. On February 2, 2020,
two countries and customize tourism projects and the China Islamic Association’s website released the
routes for Chinese tourists. In 2018, 9,453 Chinese “Wa’z” (sermon) entitled “carry forward the fine
tourists visited Lebanon. In 2019, the number of Chi- traditions of Islam and contribute to overcoming
nese tourists to Lebanon reached 12 thousand, an inc- the epidemic”, which clarified the importance and
rease of 22.4%. Lebanese travel agencies had plans to necessity of suspending collective religious activi-
receive 20 to 30 thousand Chinese tourists in 2021 if it ties and implementing various measures from the
were not COVID-19 (Xinhuanet, 2019cXinhuanet (2019b). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). perspective of religious doctrines, and called on the
On November 19, 2019, the China-Arab Tourism Islamic world to carry forward the spirit of science
Cooperation Forum opened in Beijing. China held and strengthen their faith (China News Network,
discussions with 19 Arab countries including Algeria, 2020). The China Islamic Association took the lead
the UAE, Egypt, and Morocco on China-Arab cultu- in donations for the Arab world and Chinese Mus-
ral and tourism cooperation, and all parties reached a lims took the initiative as well. By February 14, 2020,
consensus on establishing tourism cooperation mec- Islamic associations in China had donated a total of
hanisms at government and enterprise levels (People’s more than 86.09 million RMB to fight the pandemic
Net, 2019). Tourism cooperation has become a central (China News Network, 2020China News Network (2020). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.).
A united front against the pandemic has beco- construction and restoration of China’s Islamic
me an extension of religious exchanges between colleges, etc. (Fjnet, 2009Fjnet (2009). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.).
China and Arab countries. China’s local governments are also engaged
Exchanges between religious groups in China in China-Arab religious exchanges. On Novem-
and Arab countries have gradually established ber 6, 2015, at the invitation of the China Islamic
mechanisms (Fjnet, 2009Fjnet (2009). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). China has established Association, led by Sheikh Mohamed Bada, Sec-
a fixed mechanism for sending religious students retary-General of Egyptian Azhar Supreme Mis-
to Arab countries and incorporated it into the na- sionary Committee, and a delegation of eight Isla-
tional agreement on foreign cultural exchanges. mic celebrities from six Arab countries, including
Every year, the Chinese Islamic Association sends Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan, visited China
graduates from 10 Islamic schools across China to (Guangzhou Islamic Association Network, 2015Guangzhou Islamic Association Network (2015). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.).
study in colleges and universities in Arab count- Guangdong is one of the earliest provinces whe-
ries. Young Chinese Muslim chanters also partici- re Islam was introduced into China. With famous
pate in the international recitation competition of historical sites such as Huaisheng Mosque and
the Holy Koran held in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and ot- ancient Muslim tombs, Guangzhou has witnessed
her countries. At present, 24 colleges and univer- the development of Islam in the southern provin-
sities in China have opened Arabic majors (Fjnet, ce. At present, many Muslims from South Asia,
2009). Such religious exchanges between China the Middle East, and North Africa are engaged in
and Arab countries contribute to the dialogue of business activities in Guangdong. The Mosques
civilizations, which directly reverses the “clash of in Guangzhou have allowed Chinese and fore-
civilizations” theory put forward by Samuel Hun- ign Muslims to gather and connect in harmony
tington. (Guangzhou Islamic Association Network, 2015Guangzhou Islamic Association Network (2015). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.).
China’s BRI is conducive to the establishment of a good cultural environment through the exchange Since the BRI was established, of religious doctrines.
increasing amounts of Arab students In 2019, the Chinese Muslims that made pilgri-
have come to study in China. In 2008, mages to Mecca provided training service for the
1,127 Chinese students were studying staff of Saudi Arabia in daily Chinese language
in Arab countries and Arab Muslims to facilitate their communication with Chinese
also actively aided China’s education. pilgrims (China News Network, 2019China News Network (2019). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.). This de-
monstrates how encouraging religious exchanges
Since the BRI was established, increasing and educational cooperation can promote unders-
amounts of Arab students have come to study in tanding of both parties on each other.
China. In 2008, 1,127 Chinese students were stud- In the future, religious exchanges between Chi-
ying in Arab countries and Arab Muslims also na and Arab countries will continue to play its
actively aided China’s education. Since 1978, the unique and irreplaceable role as an important part
Islamic Development Bank under the Organizati- and powerful supplement to the country’s overall
on of the Islamic Conference (now renamed “Or- diplomacy and the friendship between Muslims in
ganization of the Islamic Cooperation” and has 57 China and in Arab countries will continue to dee-
Member States), has provided $10 million for the pen (Ma, 2015:31).
The exchange of visits between art festivals and literary and artistic groups is an important part of the CASCF on cultural exchanges and cooperation. (CGTN, 2019CGTN (2019). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.)
Prospects of China-Arab Cultural Exchanges macy (Zhao, 2012: 23). Since the beginning of the
21st century, China has established relatively matu- Although the overall design of cultural exchange re cultural exchange mechanisms with the United between China and Arab countries has essentially States, Europe, Great Britain, and the Association been completed, there is still a long way to go to of South-East Asian Nations, but the institutionaliconsolidate it. Especially since 2020, the scramble zation level of cultural exchange between China and
of the great powers’ geopolitical struggle has esca- Arab countries is still limited.
lated, COVID-19 has been wreaking havoc on the Second, neither China nor Arab countries give
world, the world economy has been sluggish, and priority to each other for cultural exchanges. Both
the “fragmented” Arab world has faced challenges sides focus on cultural exchanges with their respecti-
for cultural exchanges between China and Arab ve neighboring countries on the one hand, and with
countries. Europe and America on the other hand. For Arab
First, cultural exchanges between China and Arab countries, their key partners for cultural exchanges
countries are still subordinate to political and eco- are European countries; for China, their focus in cul-
nomic exchanges. Although China has established tural exchanges are Eastern and South-Eastern Asi-
diplomatic relations with all Arab countries, such an countries, meaning Arab countries are secondary.
diplomatic ties are mainly reflected in political, eco- Therefore, China-Arab cultural exchanges should be
nomic, and trade relations. Due to the differences pragmatic starting with small steps.
between ethnic and religious beliefs, the people of The Chinese government attaches great impor-
Arab countries have not been monolithic, making it tance to Arabic education and Chinese education is
hard for China to implement unified cultural diplo- also highly valued by Arab countries.
Many universities in China have successively ope- Art Festival and cultural industry cooperation, the
ned Arabic majors and trained a batch of excellent China-Arab Tourism Cooperation Forum, the Chi-
Arabic talents. These talents and scholars who are na-Arab Radio and Television Cooperation Forum,
proficient in Arabic have become the pioneers to the China-Arab University Alliance, the China-Arab
promote the development of China-Arab relations. Think Tank Cooperation, the China-Arab Friends-
However, if China and Arab countries do not seize hip Conference, the China-Arab Women’s Coopera-
the opportunity to improve teaching materials, tea- tion Forum, the China-Arab Forum for non-gover-
ching methods, talent training modes, and formu- nmental organizations and social organizations, the
late medium and long-term development plans, the China-Arab Youth Friendship and Ambassador Pro-
outstanding talents of China and Arab countries may ject, the China-Arab city forum, and more. However,
flow to Europe and America, resulting in the ‘brain ordinary people are “stand-by”, making it difficult to
drain’ of Chinese and Arab talents. As a result, both align the feelings of Chinese and Arab civilians.
China and Arab countries face an asymmetric de- While these forms of cultural exchange between
pendence on European and American countries in China and Arab countries are relatively active, some-
education. China and Arab countries have long been times the content is “vague”, meaning Chinese and
marginalized with the backdrop of strong Western Arabs are like “familiar strangers”. The purpose of
discourse, so they still have a long way to go to prio- cultural exchanges between China and Arab count-
ritize cultural exchanges between each other. ries is to promote mutual cultural identity and pro-
mote the construction of a “community with a sha-
Cultural exchanges between China red future for mankind”. In addition to the existing
and Arab countries need to mobilize top-down cultural exchange mechanism, it is neces-
non-governmental organizations. sary to promote exchanges between the two sides
from bottom to top, with ordinary Chinese and Arab
Finally, cultural exchanges between China and people as the predominant players.
Arab countries need to mobilize non-governmental To begin with, China and Arab countries need
organizations. In recent years, cultural exchanges to explore the cultural elements of the ancient Silk
between China and Arab countries have been more Road to improve interactions between peoples of
official than non-governmental, resulting in “hot both sides. To this end, the two sides support the jo-
official ties while aloof non-governmental commu- int archaeological work in the Al-Serrian port of Sa-
nication”. There are few exchanges between local udi Arabia and support the operation of the interna-
governments, non-governmental organizations, tional fund for the protection of endangered cultural
universities, think tanks, and citizens of China and heritage jointly established by China and the Uni-
Arab countries. Although tourism between China ted Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait,
and Arab countries is grassroots, it is formidable to and other countries (“Action Plan of the CASCF for
achieve the goal of “connecting the hearts of the pe- 2018-2020”, 2018).
ople” put forward by the leaders of China and Arab Next, China and Arab countries need to expand
countries. the field of cultural exchanges. So far, the cultural ex-
The Chinese and Arab governments have taken changes between China and Arab countries are ma-
the lead in designing several mechanisms, such as the inly in the four fields of education, media, tourism,
China-Arab civilization dialogue, the China-Arab and religion.
It is also necessary to expand to the “new frontier” of cultural exchanges between China and Arab countries, such as the exchange of traditional Chinese medicine and cultural heritage protection. In 2019, China and Arab countries held a forum on public health. In it, two sides stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and exchange of experience in the medical field, to pay attention to the elderly, disabled, and people with special needs, to With the development of tourism in China and Egypt, the prevent infectious diseases, to encourage the transfer exchanges and cooperation between China and Egypt’s
of medical technology, to strengthen the exchange civil aviation industry are also increasing, Beijing Daxing
of information between governments on public he- International Airport. (Zou Hong /China Daily, 2019Zou Hong /China Daily (2019). The source article does not provide a separate full bibliographic entry for this citation.)
alth laws and policies, to carry out medical research Conclusion
and experiments, to enhance cooperation betwe-
en Chinese and Arab treatment institutions, and to The friendship between the countries is expressed by
promote cooperation in medical research and tra- the affinity between their peoples. In recent years, Chi-
ditional medicines (“Action Plan of the CASCF for na and Arab countries have carried out dialogue and
2018-2020”, 2018). Both China and Arab countries exchanges in the cultural field. The exchange of visits
have a rich traditional medical culture that needs to between Chinese and Arab artists has flourished, the
be inherited and protected properly. number of exchange students has increased year by
Moreover, cultural exchanges between China and year, the project of mutual translation and publication
Arab countries need to keep pace with the times by of Chinese and Arab classics has been actively promo-
incorporating new technologies and platforms. With ted, the joint translation training program has been
the rapid development of technology, especially with carried out smoothly, and there are many highlights
the continuous emergence of social networking sites in the fields of civilization dialogue, de-radicalization
that affect people’s views and positions, China and cooperation, and youth and women exchanges.
Arab countries must pay attention to the role of the First, China-Arab cultural exchanges have a pro-
internet in non-governmental exchanges. In China found historical accumulation. Research shows that
and the Arab world, hundreds of millions of citizens the historical heritage of cultural exchanges between
are using the internet, including social networking China and Arab countries is the ancient Silk Road. The
sites that influence public opinion, such as microb- Silk Road reminds both China and Arab countries of
logs, WeChat, Facebook, YouTube, etc. The number their respective glorious national histories and cultu-
of Arab citizens using WeChat to communicate both res and serves to enhance their national pride. When
with their Chinese friends and each other has been the Arab Empire and the Chinese Tang Empire were
incresing. The Embassy of China in Egypt and ot- the most powerful in the 7th century, their interacti-
her Arab countries began to build a WeChat official ons began. During this period, Chinese papermaking,
account while some embassies opened micro-blog silk, tea, and other products were introduced into
accounts. New media will become a key platform for the Arab world, while blue porcelain technology and
cultural exchanges between China and Arab count- galaxy science were introduced into China by the
ries in the future. Arabs. In recent years, joint archaeological expeditions
between China and Arab countries, the revival of each Arab countries. Since the BRI was raised, China and
other’s ancient medicine, and the protection of cultu- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and
ral relics have all helped to promote the connection Algeria have formed high-level joint committees to
between the two people. promote cultural exchanges under bilateral relations.
Second, cultural exchanges between China and Fourth, China-Arab cultural exchange needs to be
Arab countries are integrated. Their cultural exchan- pragmatic. Although the current cultural exchange
ges play a “fundamental” role in deepening and de- mechanism between China and Arab countries has
veloping strategic relations and help to cultivate an been established, led, and promoted by the gover-
affinity and friendship between the two sides. Both nment, the key to its effectiveness is in non-govern-
China and Arab countries are developing countries mental exchanges. In other words, the government
with underdeveloped social groups. The Chinese can only play a leading role while specific affairs need
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Propa- to rely on social and non-governmental sectors. Exc-
ganda Department of the CPC Central Committee, hanges between ordinary people and enterprises are
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of grassroots and fundamental. It is far from enough to
Education, the Xinhua News Agency, the Ministry of rely on several cooperation mechanisms and platfor-
Health, the Friendship Association, and more than ms such as the CASCF to promote cultural exchanges
a dozen other departments, as well as provinces and and cooperation at the official level. China and Arab
cities, have promoted cultural exchanges between countries should respect each other’s cultural differen-
them. Thus, coordination and unity between different ces.
departments will be developed and overall cooperati- Therefore, China and Arab countries need to adhe-
on with Arab countries within the framework of the re to pragmatism and steadily promote cultural exc-
CASCF will be developed. hanges. After China put forward its BRI, Arab count-
Third, Cultural exchanges between China and ries started “looking East” and China-Arab relations
Arab countries are divided into three different mecha- turned from “back-to-back” to “face-to-face”. Cultural
nisms: multilateral, collective and bilateral cooperati- exchanges between China and the Arab countries will
on. Multilateral and collective cooperation is carried enable the two forces at the two ends of the BRI to
out under the framework of the CASCF, which has the revitalize the spirit of the Old Silk Road and develop a
advantage of higher efficiency because it can cover 22 mutually beneficial and harmonious relationship.
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