This year marks the 40th anniversary since China and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations in 1984.
With steadily tightening ties between the two countries, UAE has become a key partner for China in the Middle East and a pivot for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), playing an active role in regional cooperation.
Recent shifts in global geopolitics, as well as the continued advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, have resulted in a significant improvement in Sino-UAE relations. This expansion of collaboration goes beyond politics, economics, and culture to include green development and high-tech innovation, laying the groundwork for long-term growth in mutual interactions.
This strong development momentum can be attributed to numerous reciprocal visits by leaders from both nations, as well as long-term political confidence. President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UAE in 2018 marked a new phase in the two nations' comprehensive strategic alliance.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has visited China several times, has referred to it as his second home, demonstrating the two countries' confidence and strong political cooperation.
The two countries' close cooperation in international affairs within such multilateral platforms as the UN and the BRICS also contributes to the establishment of a more just and rational global governance regime.
UAE's active participation in BRI and its endorsement of China's proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative have contributed significantly to regional stability and global cooperation.
Business representatives engage in trade negotiations at the UAE Pavilion during the China International Fair for Trade in Services held in Beijing in September.
Extensive and robust cooperation in trade and finance has built up strong momentum for further growth.
In 2023, with mutual non-oil trade approaching US$81 billion, the UAE had already become China's largest importer in the Middle East, with mutual trade volume expected to reach US$200 billion by 2030. In finance, the two sides have actively pursued novel uses of digital currency as part of their efforts to ease mutual trade.
Cooperation in cultural and educational spheres continues to expand, testifying to high mutual trust born of win-win cooperation.
The UAE's Hundred School Project, which aims to give Chinese language instruction courses in 200 public schools, has helped more UAE students learn about Chinese culture.
The China Cultural Centers established in the UAE also contribute to reciprocal cultural exchanges, both in terms of people-to-people communication and formal interactions.
Educational links also include mutual visits by academics and students from both nations, as well as collaborative efforts in scientific research and vocational training.
Thanks to free trade zones and various tourist programs, a growing number of Chinese tourists are visiting the UAE, and an increasing number of Chinese businesses and investors are exploring UAE markets.
China-UAE cooperation in energy and technology suggests great collaborative potential in building a green future, with close cooperation in petroleum, natural gas, and hydrogen energy contributing significantly to energy safety and achieving sustainable development goals.
China's participation in the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai in 2023, as well as its commitment to the UAE agreement and the biodiversity framework, illustrate the two countries' shared responsibility for responding to climate change and building ecological civilization.
In addition, the two sides have established comprehensive cooperating structures in financial services, frontier research in artificial intelligence, and aerospace, all to achieve more successful collaboration in science and technology and talent development.
As a critical hub in BRI, the UAE's collaborative role in supply chain management and logistics technology has surely hastened the modernization of cross-border logistics.
In marking the anniversary, the two countries are envisioning a new vista of cooperation through the Dubai Forum, with the planned launch of a high-level joint committee expected to further catalyze investment and trade.
In the future, it is expected that the two sides will engage in cooperation at multiple levels, in fields ranging from green transformation, and scientific innovation, to global governance, to give a robust boost to regional cooperation, global sustainable development, and global peace and prosperity.
(The author is an associate research fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Fudan University. The article is translated by Wan Lixin.)
