- 24 Sep 2014
UNDERSTANDING CHINA’S ROLE IN CHANGING MIDDLE EAST
ABSTRACT
While the West, especially the US, has been the dominant influence in the Middle East for the last sixty years (and the European powers played a major role in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries), China’s role has been more muted and less visible. Now China’s rise as a great power and its rapidly growing commercial, investment and energy interests in the Middle East have led it to play a more active political, diplomatic, and security role in the region. Confronted with political change, riots and even civil wars in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria; the expansion of radical Jihadism in Iraq and Levant; the debate over on Iran’s nuclear capacity; a resurgent Turkey; the long-drawn-out Israeli-Palestine conflict and the active intervention policies of some GCC countries, Professor Pan discusses how changes in Chinese policy and strategy affect the Middle East.
About the Speakers
Ambassador, United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations (UNAOC)
Vice Chairman, Shanghai Center for
International Studies
Director, Center of SCO (Shanghai
Cooperation Organization) Studies
Vice President, Chinese Association
PAN Guang is Vice Chairman and Professor at the Shanghai Center for International Studies, Director of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Studies Center in Shanghai, Dean of the Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai (CJSS) and Vice President of the Chinese Association of Middle East Studies. He is an International Council Member of the Asia Society in USA, Senior Advisor on Anti-terrorism Affairs to the Municipality of Shanghai and the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. He obtained the St Petersburg-300 Medal for his contributions to China-Russia Relations awarded by President Putin in 2004 and was Awarded the Austria Holocaust Memorial Award in 2006. He was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Member of the High-Level Group for the UN Alliance of Civilizations in 2005, and appointed as Ambassador of the UNAOC in 2008. Professor Pan conducted research at a number of institutions including Columbia University, Boston University, the Brookings Institution, Stanford University, Leiden University, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has written a number of books and articles including The Jews in China, The Jews in Asia: Comparative Perspective, From Silk Road to ASEM: 2000 Years of Asia-Europe Relations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Its Progress and Prospect, Contemporary International Crises, China’s Success in the Middle East, China’s Anti-terror Strategy, Islam and Confucianism: the Development of Chinese Islam and China’s Energy Strategy, and China’s Policy on AF/PAK.
