The United Arab Emirates and China’s Belt and Road Initiative

• In Event: The New Silk Road: Chinese Foreign Policy and the One Belt, One Road Initiative

Abstract

Relations between China and the United Arab Emirates are deep and multifaceted, benefitting both states in achieving international and domestic political objectives. The political economy of this bilateral relationship is based on a range of interactions involving trade, diplomacy, infrastructure and investment projects, people-to-people exchanges, and to a lesser degree, security. China’s Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (Belt and Road) is the signature foreign policy initiative of Xi Jinping’s administration, with tremendous resources being devoted to developing trade infrastructure throughout Eurasia, linking China to markets throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. In this paper, I argue that the UAE’s political stability, geostrategic location, existing transportation infrastructure, and role as a regional financial hub make it a crucial pillar in the energy-rich China-Central and West Asia Economic Corridor of the Belt and Road.

Author

• Jonathan David Fulton, Zayed University