When Chinese President Xi Jinping lands in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, there will be few in the UAE who are unaware of his arrival. In contrast to the visits of other heads of state, which can pass under the radar of those outside the diplomatic and media spheres, this trip is shaping up to be something more involving. With Chinese culture being celebrated around the country, the arrival of Mr Xi goes beyond politics.
Perhaps that is fitting, because the relationship with China has the possibility to impact the UAE beyond the leadership level, extending into trade, tourism, education and foreign policy.
To understand why the relationship between the UAE and China matters so much and why both sides are investing so much diplomatic energy in it, it helps to consult a map. It has only been five years since Mr Xi initiated the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the trillion dollar plan to connect vast parts of Asia, Africa and Europe through a new Silk Road.
The BRI is incredibly ambitious and, if it develops as planned, will have an impact on more than 70 countries and touch perhaps half the population of the world.
The Gulf sits at the very heart of it, literally and figuratively. The sea route that is planned from China goes through southeast Asia, up the coasts of India and Pakistan, into the Middle East and down the eastern coast of Africa – all areas with which the Gulf has cultural connections, language links and historic trade routes.
The UAE will be a hub for the BRI and over the coming years, the country will seek to utilise that position and its historic links to develop the relationship with China across three essential areas: energy, trade and alliances.
Energy is the most obvious connection and the one that is best known. China's demand for oil keeps rising and demand for products made from oil – plastics, pharmaceuticals and fertilisers – is rising even faster, leading the UAE to export more to the country and for Chinese inward investment into the UAE's oil and gas sectors to rise.
It is from trade, however, that the greatest growth can come. Trade with China is a huge prize for the UAE but its real value lies in re-export. With a small population, there is a limit to how many products the country can consume but the UAE is positioning itself as a hub to re-export China's produce to the rest of the Middle East, east Africa and beyond.
At the moment, more than half of all Chinese goods that come into the UAE go out to those markets and the expectation is that closer ties will make that number soar. Just this week the UAE's ambassador to China said the $50 billion in bilateral trade last year could double over the next decade. Given how rapidly some African and Arab countries are developing, that prediction could be conservative.
Closer trade will bring with it more business connections between China and the UAE, which will mean more tourism, conferences, aviation routes and ships, all of which benefit the UAE's economy and which will tie the UAE closer to the Asian superpower.
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Read more:
Podcast: the China-UAE bond strengthens
How Xi Jinping became China's most powerful leader
The Great Wall and the Great Hall: Sheikh Zayed's 1990 visit to China
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Many of the elements that the UAE hopes will diversify its economy from oil will benefit from a closer relationship with China: more Asian students will help cement the country as an educational hub, selling media to Asia will help it become an entertainment base and access to Chinese markets will help it become a start-up hub. In that phrase so beloved of Chinese diplomats, a closer relationship will really be a “win-win”.
Politically, of course, China is Asia's superpower and one of the permanent five on the United Nations Security Council. It has enormous influence, not only to support the UAE on issues that matter to it but to partner with the country and the Gulf on issues such as extremism, terrorism and poverty.
Both countries share a foreign policy perspective that poverty and lack of development breed instability and violence – one of the reasons both Beijing and Abu Dhabi have poured billions into aid for countries abroad is because they believe development can halt political chaos.
China, of course, also benefits from all these aspects of the relationship. Trade is a two-way street and energy security remains a huge challenge for it. But for China, the UAE, the Gulf and the Arab world are crucial to its rise to superpower status.
China sees the UAE and the Gulf as its bridgehead into the Middle East and Africa, not merely in terms of access to markets but as a way to create close political relationships. A good relationship with 22 Arab countries gives China strong diplomatic support in international fora like the United Nations.
The UAE, particularly, matters here. It will not have escaped Chinese attention that the UAE is consistently rated as the country other Arabs would most like their nations to emulate. A good relationship with a modern, outward-looking Arab Muslim country is essential for its international relations with other Muslim countries but also with its own substantial Muslim minority.
When Mr Xi lands tomorrow, he will be treated to the best that the capital has to offer. But both he and his hosts know that a strong relationship, properly cultivated, can bring immense benefits far beyond the cities of Abu Dhabi and Beijing.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
65
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MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
RACECARD
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Pakistan - Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Rumman Raees.
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
