Amna Al Ketbi (Dubai)
The United Arab Emirates and the People’s Republic of China celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries, amid great optimism for further rapprochement, development and continuous growth, in light of the support of the wise leadership in the two countries to consolidate partnership and cooperation, in a way that meets their common interests and the aspirations of their peoples.
Bilateral relations between the two countries are based on the principles of tolerance, openness to different cultures, consolidation of security and stability, mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, cooperation and mutual understanding.
The two countries are bound by strong bonds of friendship and solid and distinguished relations that have resulted in strategic cooperation in various fields that open the doors to the future. The two friendly countries also share many common goals that contribute to achieving sustainable development, growth and prosperity for their peoples.
Today, bilateral relations between the two countries take on multiple and comprehensive aspects, as the UAE and China present a unique model of partnership thanks to the vision of the wise leadership in the two countries and their continuous support for enhancing the prospects of joint cooperation. The rapid growth of relations between the two countries reflects the UAE’s forward-looking and ambitious vision to enhance economic openness to the world.
The UAE and China are linked by a large group of agreements and memoranda of understanding that cover various sectors such as energy, space, communications, education, healthcare, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, manufacturing, culture, tourism, and other economic, commercial, and investment fields. The UAE is also considered an important station for Chinese business and trade.
Relations between the UAE and the People’s Republic of China officially began on December 3, 1971, just one day after the establishment of the UAE, when the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, sent a telegram to the then Premier of the Chinese State Council, Zhou Enlai, informing him of the establishment of the state. Zhou Enlai responded with a congratulatory telegram, confirming China’s recognition of the UAE, marking the beginning of a relationship between the two countries that was characterised by continuous development.
Diplomatic relations between the UAE and China began on November 1, 1984, when the then Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Guoqian paid an official visit to the UAE capital. In 1985, China opened an embassy in Abu Dhabi, and about two years later, the UAE opened its embassy in Beijing. In 1988, China opened a consulate in Dubai. The UAE opened three consulates general in China, the first in Hong Kong in 2000, the second in Shanghai in 2009, and another in Guangzhou in 2016.
The continuous mutual visits made by the leaders and officials of the two countries contributed to pushing forward the Chinese-Emirati diplomatic relations. The first of these visits was that made by former Chinese President Yang Shangkun in 1989 to the UAE, and official visits between the two countries followed.
The tourism sector is one of the most important sectors in the economic relations between the UAE and China, as the total number of Chinese tourists reached more than one million visitors in the first ten months of 2023, and the number of Chinese people in the UAE reached about 350,000, and more than 210 flights are organized monthly between the two countries via the UAE’s national airlines.
The cultural sector is one of the most prominent sectors in terms of growth, as both countries view culture as a soft power that plays an important role in building bridges of cooperation and rapprochement between countries and peoples around the world, which is expressed by the volume of exchange of student visits, delegations of cultural officials, media professionals, and researchers between them, in addition to the signing of many cultural agreements between the two countries.
The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Center for Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, established in 1990 at the University of Islamic Studies in Beijing, has contributed to spreading Arabic culture in China. Cultural weeks, music festivals, events organized between the two countries, and book fairs have also contributed to strengthening cultural relations between the two countries and pushing them forward year after year.
The year 2019 witnessed the launch of the “Teaching Chinese in 200 Schools” project in the UAE, which has attracted more than 71,000 male and female students in 171 schools across the country, embodying the great interest of Emirati students in learning the Chinese language as a bridge for cultural and human communication between the two countries.
The project has become an important tributary for the Arab world to embrace China and strengthen relations between the peoples of the two regions. The Emirates Chinese Cultural Center will soon be operational, while the two countries have cooperated to build the world’s first artificial intelligence university in Abu Dhabi, with a third of the university’s students from mainland China. The two parties have also cooperated to conduct the first phase of the international clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine in the world.
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