On Tuesday, 26 June 2018, AJCS received an academic delegation from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences as part of the academy’s tour to think tanks and research centres in Qatar. The Chinese delegation was headed by Yan Shuang, Executive President of Shanghai Federation of Social Science Association (SASS) and included Wang Jian, Director of Institute of History and Research Professor (SASS); Xu Yilun, Deputy Chief Clerk at the Shanghai Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science; and Zhang Jia, Programme Officer in the International Cooperation Office of SASS. AJCS Director, Dr. Mohammed Mukhtar Al Khalil, and a group of AJCS researchers hosted the delegation.
An open discussion took place between the researchers of both institutions. AJCS researchers answered questions about the vision of the Arabs and their evaluation of Chinese policy toward the Arab region especially and the Middle East in general while their counterparts addressed the transformation of the Chinese economic and military presence, especially in the Horn of Africa, into an active and tangible political presence balancing that of the west. The discussion also touched on the trade war emerging between China and the United States.
At the end of the visit, the two parties agreed to continue their discussions through joint research activities and events in both Qatar and China.