The increasing engagement of Iran towards China is nothing but a major issue in the Gulf region. Yet, despite this, GCC countries have been cooperating with China when talking about trade, investments, politics, and even culture.

In this podcast, We are joined by Mohammed Al-Sudairi, a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Asian Studies Program at KFCRIS. Mohammed and Jonathan talked about the political view of GCC towards China, the relationship of GCC countries with China in terms of people, culture, and businesses, and the competition narrative of the two countries, the USA and China in the region.

Key Takeaways
The political perspective of GCC countries toward China
The early diplomatic ties of some GCC countries with China
Oman and Kuwait's early relations with China suddenly become passive.
Chinese investments moving to other countries due to bad politics
The Sino-Arab citizens assimilate the culture and life of Arab people
Competition narrative of US and China in GCC
Impression of Gulf people towards China
The Saudi citizens trying to live in the Mainland China

Quotes
Energy has been the main catalyst for this orientation between GCC and China - Mohammed

There is solidified imagery about China as a potential alternative to the U.S.- Mohammed

A lot of these individuals wrote about their experiences and depicted China as this great liberatory power. - Mohammed

Featured in this Episode
Jonathan Fulton
Nonresident Senior Fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi
Profile: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/jonathan-fulton/
Linkedin: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-fulton-2627414b
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathandfulton

Mohammed Al-Sudairi
Senior Research Fellow and Head of Asian Studies Program at KFCRIS.
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Asian Studies Unit Head
Profile: https://www.kfcris.com/en/researcher/10
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +852-6816-4293

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:38 GCC's attitude towards China
06:04 Early diplomatic ties of GCC with China
08:06 Early relations between China and GCC suddenly become silent
10:45 Moving to other countries
14:55 Regional representation of the Gulf Peninsula
17:00 Sino-Arab citizens
20:44 US-GCC relations
22:55 Competition narrative of US and China in GCC countries
32:57 Impressions of Gulf people toward China
40:32 Saudi people moving to China

This podcast was produced by Heartcast Media.
www.heartcastmedia.com