- 09 Dec 2025
Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures: A Book Talk with Mohammed Alsudairi and Andrea Ghiselli
On 9 December, MEI will host a talk with Dr. Mohammed Alsudairi and Dr. Andrea Ghiselli to discuss their new book, Narratives of Sino-Middle Eastern Futures. Their research explores the trajectory and potential endpoint of Sino-Middle Eastern relations. Are we on the precipice of a post-American Chinese hegemony in the region, or are we reaching the outer limits of what is feasible within these essentially transactional ties?
Drawing on a wide range of multilingual sources from 2010 to 2023 and based on a framework of thin constructivism, the book delves into Saudi, Syrian, and Chinese elite narratives regarding the Middle Eastern regional order and China’s envisaged place within it.
This event will be conducted online via Zoom on Tuesday, 9 December from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM (SGT). This event is free, however, registration is compulsory. Successful registrants will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom details closer to the date of the event.
Photo credit: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Han Zheng at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Photo published by Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry.
About the Speakers
Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic Speaking World
Australian National University
Mohammed Alsudairi is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic-Speaking World. He holds a PhD in Comparative Politics from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), an MA in International Relations and International History from the London School of Economics and Peking University, and a BSc in International Politics from Georgetown University.
His research has been published in several academic journals, including The Middle East Journal, Third World Quarterly, Journal of Arabian Studies, Journal of Contemporary China, Global Policy, and the Journal of Islamic Studies (University of Oxford).
Lecturer in International Politics in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology
University of Exeter
Andrea Ghiselli is a Lecturer in International Politics in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology at the University of Exeter. Previously, he worked in China at Fudan University for nine years. He is also a non-resident research fellow with the TOChina Hub and Head of Research for its ChinaMed Project.
He serves on the editorial boards of the Global Studies Quarterly, Armed Forces & Society, as well as OrizzonteCina.
Senior Research Fellow
Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore
[Moderator] Dr Jean-Loup Samaan is a Senior Research Fellow specialising in Middle East strategic affairs, with a particular focus on the defense & security policies of Gulf states and Israel. Prior to that, Samaan was a policy analyst at the Directorate for Strategic Affairs of the French Ministry of Defense (2008-2011), research advisor at the NATO Defense College (2011-2016), and associate professor in strategic studies at the UAE National Defense College (2016-2021).
