Merchants moved between China and the Arab world for hundreds of years on the ancient Silk Road, carrying with them exotic wares and captivating tales. An abiding fascination with each other’s culture had already crystallised by the time an Arab mission arrived in China in 651. So moved was the mighty Tang dynasty emperor Gaozong that he ordered a mosque to be constructed in Changan to memorialise the Sino-Arabian friendship. That affection and warmth, surviving the ups and downs of history, continues to undergird the UAE’s relationship with China.
As the UAE prepares to welcome Chinese president Xi Jinping on a state visit next week, bilateral relations between the two nations are at an all-time high. Commerce, the originator of the bond, is now so extensive between the two nations that China is among the UAE's top two trading partners, the total rising to $52 billion last year. China, for its part, considers the UAE a trusted partner capable of helping it meet its growing energy needs.
But oil is but one aspect of the trade relationship, which includes exchanges in a host of areas. Last year the two nations signed a series of agreements to deepen ties in 13 sectors, including health, education, infrastructure, aviation and financial services. The UAE's geographic position makes it indispensable to the realisation of China's Belt and Road initiative that seeks to revive the ancient Silk Road and forge partnerships among the nations in its path. Their co-operation has the potential to transform the global economy for the better, by helping to integrate nations marginalised by existing trade arrangements into a vast and mutually beneficial marketplace.
Trade, for all its importance, is itself one component of a relationship that is bound together by common values and people-to-people contacts. When Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, became the first GCC leader to be welcomed on a state visit by China in 1990, his hosts stressed the fact that the two "countries hold identical or similar stands on major international issues". The bilateral relationship received a further fillip when Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, went on a hugely successful tour of China in 2015. Beijing last year abolished visa requirements for Emirati citizens, while the UAE remains a proud home to more than 180,000 Chinese residents, who have made significant cultural and economic contributions to this country.
It is a measure of the importance attached by the leadership of this country to China that last year the government introduced Mandarin language classes in government schools. Relations between the two nations have never been deeper, but President Xi's state visit will be a reminder that there are still greater heights to scale.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Naga
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Fatherland
Kele Okereke
(BMG)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)