Initiative and Visions: Synergy between Development Strategies of China and the Arab States

Abstract

Abstract The economic development of Arab states faces long-time impediments, including the paradox between security and development, de-industrialisation, and market fragmentation. Reflecting on the above-mentioned problems, the Arab states have put forward development strategies for themselves in the first two decades of the 21st century. There are different focuses in the three categories of these strategies, namely labour-intensive industrialisation and urbanisation plans adopted typically by Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, economic diversification plans adopted mainly by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as post-conflict reconstruction and development plans of Iraq and Syria. This paper argues that, in terms of trade and investment, capacity relocation and technology transfer, as well as infrastructure construction and market integration, these development plans have considerable potential to be strategically synergized with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and the various featured paths of synergy of development strategies (SDS) have emerged accordingly. To better implement the Sino-Arab SDS, both sides have created various major “interfaces,” including multilateral and bilateral governmental dialogue mechanisms, the participation of China’s state-owned enterprises in the landmark projects of Arab states, and the market-oriented cooperation between their private sectors.