2008 and 2012 witnessed the establishment of the relationships of strategic friendship and strategic cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. In 2014, Iran was announced an “important partner at strategic level” by Chinese vice premier; and China formally proclaimed Qatar as its strategic partner.

The reason behind the rapid development of China’s ties with the gulf countries lies in the nature of the strategic cooperation between the both parties involved, which can be evidenced in the mutual support in major sectors with regards to the economic development and economic safety. Both sides have safeguarded each other in energy source, opened market for each other, and seek for mutual benefit and win-win in direct investment. The gulf countries have played an important part in feeding China’s demand of energy imports, while China has contributed tremendously to improving trade terms in the gulf countries.

Both sides’ approach in trading ties has set a good example for developing countries in mutual beneficial cooperation for common development. The ongoing efforts of negotiations on free trade zone and further cooperation in the development of natural gas will inject new impetus to the mutual benefit of strategic economy and trade for both sides and thus lay a solid foundation for the relationship development in an all-round way.

Born in 1955, Yang Guang graduated from Beijing Foreign Languages School, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, and the graduate school of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Since 1978, Yang has been engaged in the studies of international energy safety and the economic development in African and West Asian countries and the relationship between these countries and China at the Research Institute of West Asia and Africa under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as director, research fellow, professor, and doctoral supervisor.