The Potentials,Challenges and Path for Achieving Science and Technology Cooperation between China and Arab States under the Background of the Belt and Road Initiative

Lei Yuanzheng

(NO.1 Middle School Affiliated to Central China Normal University,Wuhan,Hubei 430223)

Abstract:As an important partner of the Belt and Road proposed by China,Arab states have built mutual political trust and economic complementary with China in recent years,yielding fruitful results in various fields.The science and technology cooperation between the two sides has been of great concern with the progress of the continuous development of the Belt and Road.This paper briefly analyzes the potential of science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab states under the background of the Belt and Road and conducts in-depth discussions on the relevant adjustment and cooperation paths,with a view to bringing some inspiration to relevant industry insiders.

Keywords:the Belt and Road;Arab states;science and technology cooperation;technology transfer

As early as two millennia ago,China and Arab states established contacts through the Ancient Silk Road.In the 21st century,the Arab states have carried out more in-depth cooperation with various fields in China.The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in 2004 and the Belt and Road Initiative have further deepened the relevant cooperation.In order to better realize the cooperation between the two sides in the field of science and technology,it is the reason that this paper focuses on the potential,challenges and paths of science and technology cooperation between China and Arab states in the context of the Belt and Road for the specific research.

I.Potentials of Science and Technology Cooperation between China and Arab States in the Context of the Belt and Road

(i)Overall Status of Cooperation

In order to gain a deeper understanding of the potential of science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab states,the paper first clarifies the current status of cooperation between China and Arab states in terms of energy security,mutual benefit in trade, investment supply and technology.The specific status quo is as follows.

(1)Energy Security Cooperation

The oil and natural gas,the most important energy source in the world today,have always been the focus of attention in various countries.The Arab states are rich areas of oil and natural gas resources.Their proven oil and natural gas reserves account for 33.8%and 25.6%of the world's total respectively.In recent years,China's dependence on foreign oil has continued to rise sharply,and in April 2015 it became the world's largest crude oil importer,while the Middle East is China's largest source of crude oil imports.In 2016,China imported a total of 160 million tons of crude oil from all Arab oil-producing countries,accounting for 41.93%of the total.In 2017 and 2018,the relevant data also showed a certain increase.It can be seen that the Arab states occupy the important position of energy security system in China[1].

(2)Mutual Benefit in Trade Cooperation

Since the establishment of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum,the trade links between China and Arab states have become increasingly tight.In 2004,the bilateral trade volume between China and Argentina was 36.7 billion USD.In 2016,this figure rose to 172.8 billion USD.At present,China has become the second largest partner of the Arab states.Among them,Saudi Arabia,Oman and the United Arab Emirates have adopted China as their largest trading partner.The trade complementarities between China and Arab states are strong.This is the premise of the rapid development of bilateral trade between China and Argentina.The author found in the investigation that the Arab states have the characteristics of weak manufacturing development, low industrialization and single industry, which makes their foreign trade highly depend on other countries,and the results of bilateral trade between China and Arab states are more supported by energy trade.An in-depth analysis reveals that the single economic structure of the Arab states will limit the diversification of commodity trade to a certain extent, and the trade development between China and Arab states will face strong resistance.However,efforts to promote science and technology cooperation between China and Arab states can weaken this resistance to a certain extent.Figure 1 shows the trend of bilateral trade between China and Arab states in 2011-2016[2].

Figure 1 Trend in Bilateral Trade between China and Arab States from 2011 to 2016

(3)Investment and Supply Cooperation

As early as the 1980s,China and Arab states began to explore mutual investment.With the continuous advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative,China and Arab exchanges have become increasingly close in recent years,and they have been promoted in an all-round and multi-level cooperation and exchange mechanism.Next,China-Arab investment cooperation has steadily advanced.In 2007,China's direct investment stock in the Arab states was 2.09 billion USD,a value of 14.62 USD in 2015.This type of direct investment includes not only infrastructure construction, rail transit,energy development,power stations,ports,telecommunications and other infrastructure construction but also investment fields such as new energy, finance, industrial manufacturing, and electronic technology.Such investments involve a large amount of science and technology cooperation.

(4)Science and Technology Cooperation

At the present stage of science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab states,technology transfer belongs to the main content of such cooperation.At China-Arab States Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference in 2017,the establishment of the China and Arab States Technology Transfer Center was highly praise by all Sections of Society.Wan Gang,Minister of Science and Technology,called it an important measure to deepen comprehensive cooperation between China and Arab states.At the China-Arab States Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference in 2017, China-Arab Technology Transfer Information Platform was launched,and the conference signed 19 science and technology cooperation projects.Organized on September 7-8,2017,the construction of the China-Arab Science and Technology Innovation Platform, China-Arab States Semiconductor Lighting and Smart City Special Session, China-Arab States Industrial Science and Technology Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Arab states Science and Technology Cooperation, China-Arab Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation,and Xihe System have also provided strong support for the science and technology cooperation between the two sides[3].

Combined with the China-Arab States Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference 2017 and Technology Sector of China-Arab States Expo 2017,the author gets a preliminary understanding of the current status of China-Arab states cooperation in science and technology in recent years.The specific status quo is as follows: (1)Signing a large number of important science and technology cooperation projects.Focusing the Belt and Road Initiative,the conference produced 11 important think tank ideas and a series of directions of science and technology cooperation in water resources and geothermal energy development and utilization,thin film solar energy,future human and physical integration, and green energy technology sharing based on green economy development ideas.The conference has signed projects such as the China-Arab States Technology Innovation Platform and China-Arab States Technology Transfer Sub-center.(2) Defining product and technology purchase intentions.The High-tech and Equipment Exhibition of China-Arab States Expo in 2017 received 80,000 Chinese and foreign guests.The high-tech enterprises in many provinces and regions in China and the Arab states reached a 300 million yuan investment in technology-based products or technology,involving Internet of Things in agriculture,sewage treatment,food processing, drones, fire blankets, potato processing,thin film photovoltaic power generation,medical equipment, robots, medical simulation people,etc.(3)Forming a promising cooperation intention.In the construction of China-Arab States Technology Innovation platform,China-Arab States Semiconductor Lighting and Smart City Special Session,China-Arab States Industrial Science and Technology Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Arab states Science and Technology Cooperation,China-Arab States Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation, and Xihe System Matchmaking Meeting, the cooperation interest between Chinese and Arab scientific research institutions and enterprises has been greatly mobilized,and more than 30 science and technology cooperation intentions have been formed,such as new semiconductor lighting technology,palm leaf pest control technology, smart agricultural technology,sewage treatment technology, high-scoring data satellite technology, Xihe Systems, medical machinery applications,etc.Both sides signed the Framework Agreement of China-Morocco Original Medical Tai Chi health Cooperation Project,China-Egypt Original Medical Joint Laboratory and other 12 cooperation memoranda or cooperation agreement.It can visually display the status quo of science and technology cooperation between China and Arab states[4].

(ii) Potential of Science and Technology Cooperation

There are 22 Arab states in the world.It is not difficult to find out the development status of these countries.There is a great potential for science and technology cooperation between China and Arab states.The author takes the Sudan of the Arab states as an example.As a vast and resource-rich country,Sudan is rich in minerals,fertile farmland and a large number of forests, animals, fisheries and water resources, but it also lacks advanced technology investment to make better use of this type of resources, such as the lack of agricultural infrastructure.This situation is not a case in the Arab states.As early as January 13,2016,the Chinese government issued the“China's Arab Policy Paper”,which requires “using the China-Arab States Technology Transfer Center to build an integrated technology transfer and cooperation network covering China and the Arab states”.On January 21,2016,the China-Arab States Technology Transfer Center was formally established,and the mutual technology cooperation approach for technology transfer was initially established.On September 2, 2016, the“Action plan on the China Proposed Belt and Road Initiative”triggered by China's multi-sectors more directly illustrates the importance of China-Arab States Technology Transfer Center and the method of technology transfer cooperation.

Although the resources of the Arab states are mostly rich with the continuous consumption of resources,the Arab states have paid more and more attention to the development of scientific research and technology.With the rapid progress of China in the field of science and technology,the cooperation intention between the Arab states and China is gradually increasing,laying a solid foundation for China Arab states cooperation.In recent years,in the relevant research conducted by academic circles at home and abroad,many experts believe that China and Arab states should strengthen their cooperation in science and technology, and focus on environmental protection, water resources,information networks,high-speed rail,new energy and other fields, while strengthening technology transfer and results apply to transformation.The science and technology cooperation between China and Arab states also needs to focus on the connection between science and technology policy and technology development strategy.The major changes that need to be triggered by the current major technological revolution also need to be focused[5].

China is the second largest trading partner of the Arab states.When promoting the Belt and Road Initiative,it cannot be separated from the support of science and technology Cooperation.Only high-level science and technology cooperation can provide the necessary technical support and give enough motivation to the Belt and Road Initiative.Through the leading role of science and technology cooperation,the major projects of the Belt and Road Initiative will be strongly supported in quality improvement,technical bottleneck solution,and the brand creation.The promotion technology and product capabilities of technology transfer must be paid simultaneous attention to realize two-way open technology transfer.By doing this,China-Arab states cooperation can better get a foothold.

II.Challenges in Science and Technology Cooperation of China and Arab States under the Background of the Belt and Road

Although the science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab states has great potential in the context of the Belt and Road,the multi-faceted challenges faced by science and technology cooperation cannot be ignored in political environment, economic environmental and social environment.

(i)Political Environment

The political environment challenge is mainly due to the turbulent political situation in the Arab countries.The influence of big country interference and American factors also needs to be paid attention to.The specific challenges are as follows.(1)Turbulent political situation in the Arab countries.Due to the important strategic resources such as oil production, 22 Arab countries are mostly in the battleground of the military.As the center of the big country game, there are a large number of complicated contradictions and disputes in the Arab countries.Many Arab countries have been in a state of turmoil for a long time,such as Iraq and Syria.The Arab countries have been in a state of turmoil for a long time.This situation will not only affect oil supply and oil prices,but also the development of China and Arab states science and technology cooperation easily.(2) Large country interference.The development of China and Arab states science and technology cooperation is easily affected by the United States,Russia,the European Union and other major powers.The struggle between such big powers will often become a hindrance to China and Arab states science and technology cooperation.For a long time,the Arab region has belonged to the sphere of influence of the United States,Russia,the European Union and other big countries.Its political influence on the Arab countries is also deeply rooted.In order to curb the rise of China,the United States,Russia and other big countries are often alert science and technology cooperation with China and the Arab countries.Especially in the United States,with the rise of Trump,the intensity of the trade war between China and the United States has continued to increase,and the“China Threat Theory”has become increasingly popular in the Western world.In order to contain China in all fields,science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab countries is very vulnerable to interference from big countries.(3)The influence of the American factor.The US diplomatic strategy will hinder China and Arab states cooperation in the future for a long time.Although the US investment in Arab countries has decreased in recent years,the long-term dominant position of the United States in the Arab region has not changed.Most Arab countries seek security.Interests still pay more attention to relations with the United States.This makes the trend of China-US relations directly affect China-Arab states cooperation, and the position taken by the United States on Arab affairs must be taken seriously.In addition,in order to curb China's peaceful rise,the strategic center of the United States has gradually moved eastward in recent years.The return to the Asia-Pacific strategy has also made China's relations with neighboring countries increasingly complicated.The challenges that China and Arab states cooperation in science and technology may be subject to cannot be ignored[6].

(ii)Economic Environment

The economic environment challenges are mainly due to the fierce competition in the Arab region and the lack of China-Arab states cooperation,as follows: (1)Fierce competition in the Arab region.For a long time,the United States,France,Russia,Japan,South Korea and other countries have been eyeing high investment projects in Arab countries,such as gas pipelines,railways,and nuclear power plants.Many countries have carried out in-depth cooperation with Arab countries, such as the convening of Japan and the Arab Economic Forum,the signing of various agreements between France and Morocco, and the oil and gas development franchise agreements signed by the Korea Petroleum Corporation and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.As a latecomer, the challenges facing science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab countries must be taken seriously.(2)The lack of cooperation between China and Arab States.In the relevant research,the author found that the science and technology cooperation between China and the Arab countries is lacking in depth and breadth.Although this deficiency is compared with the United States and other big countries, the economic challenges caused by it must be taken seriously.In addition,the poverty of the people in many Arab countries,high youth unemployment rate,weak infrastructure, and backward economic development have also spawned a series of economic cooperation risks, such as project stranding indefinitely, commercial corruption, unfair competition,etc.It will have a negative impact on technology cooperation.

(iii)Social Environment

Complex religious and ethnic contradictions and unsound cultural exchange mechanisms belong to the social and environmental challenges facing China-Arab states science and technology cooperation,as follows: (1)Complex religious and ethnic contradictions.As the birthplace of Judaism,Christianity and Islam,ethnic disputes and religious contradictions in the Arab region are more complicated and fierce.Some Arab countries still have the practice of indulging“East Turkistan”and other separatist forces in China,which is obviously not conducive to the development of science and technology cooperation.(2) Unsound cultural exchange mechanism.Although China has made great achievements in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative in recent years,due to the significant differences in ideology,history and culture between China and the Arab countries,the cultural exchanges between the two sides are now more limited to official exchanges.Lacking of equal cultural exchange mechanism of inclusiveness and reciprocity has been restricted to a certain extent by the cooperation between the two sides in the field of science and technology.

III.Paths for Science and Technology Cooperation between China and Arab States under the background of the Belt and Road

In order to better carry out science and technology cooperation between China and Arab states,this paper proposes the paths for science and technology cooperation in various aspects based on the background of the Belt and Road,strengthening policy communication and people-to-people ties and paying attention to technology transfer and platform application.

(i)Policy Communication

The purpose of strengthening policy communication is to promote the development and improvement of China and Arab states cooperation mechanism.Therefore,it is necessary to focus on the strengthening of the official platform effect and the consolidation of various communication channels.The specific paths are as follows: (1)Strengthening the role of the official platform.Under the background of the Belt and Road,China and Arab states should adhere to the cooperation and daily liaison mechanism of the Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and the Senior Officials Meeting Mechanism,and focus on the role of the official platform of China and Arab countries, so as to quickly establish a three-dimensional and all-round way of technology cooperation framework, providing support for the win-win cooperation between China and Arab states.The two sides can form a closer strategic partnership with policy communication.(2)Consolidating various communication channels.In consideration of the hierarchical nature of policy communication,China should focus on the integration of domestic resources.Both sides need to strengthen policy support at the same time.In the process of science and technology cooperation,the protection of interests and security of both parties needs to be paid attention to,such as strengthening the policy communication between the two sides on anti-terrorism actions.By maintaining regional stability and security,China and Arab states cooperation can achieve solid support.

(ii)People-to-people Ties

The common people need to start from the political and cultural aspects.(1) Maintaining political independence.The two sides stood together through storm and stress in the past.Combined with the current situation in the Arab region,China needs to maintain political independence on regional hot issues and respect the national dignity and freedom of the Arab countries, thereby enhancing mutual political trust.(2)Seeking common values.China must respect the diversity of civilizations in China and Arab science and technology cooperation.Such respect should not only reflect in the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum,but the development of folk cultural exchanges also by organizing various types of seminars,cultural lectures and arranging technology.The exchange of visits by people in the field will further clear the obstacles facing China and Arab states cooperation in science and technology.

(iii)Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is the core of science and technology cooperation between China and Arab countries under the background of the Belt and Road.Therefore,the development of technology transfer must be paid attention to.The specific paths are as follows.(1) Clear Direction.It is necessary to strengthen the interaction of the technology transfer centers between China and Arab countries.China and Arab States Technology Transfer Center needs to pay attention to the relevant suggestions and expectations put forward by Arab countries such as Egypt, Sudan and Morocco in recent years.By accurately collecting the technological needs of Arab countries, science and technology exchanges and cooperation can be guaranteed.The national platform with technology transfer better serves the cooperation between China and Arab states.(2)Rich Project.It is necessary to further improve the comprehensive information platform for China and Arab states technology transfer.The enrichment and update of the technology transfer supply and demand project library also needs to be taken seriously.At this stage,China should speed up the construction of the second phase of the comprehensive information platform of China and Arab states technology transfer,in order to improve the functions of technology trading,price evaluation, digital exhibitions, etc., and provide information retrieval,online docking,data push and other services through the information platform.The negotiating and landing of the project can be supported by that.(3)Follow-up Implementation.For the completed China-Arab cooperation agreement and project,the relevant tracking must be taken seriously,so as to keep abreast of the dynamics of the project.It also needs to strengthen the connection with relevant enterprises in a bid to expanding the cooperation network and selecting reasonable cooperation method.(4)Profound Publicity.The development of China and Arab states cooperation in science and technology is inseparable from the support of propaganda work.Therefore, it is necessary to carry out intensive reporting based on various exhibitions.By scraping up the“technical whirlwind”and intensifying publicity, China and Arab states cooperation can gain a higher degree of attention.In addition,the influence of technology transfer work and the deepening of science and technology cooperation can also be achieved.

IV.Conclusion

Under the background of the Belt and Road,China and Arab states have relatively broad prospects for science and technology cooperation.On this basis,the proposals put forward in this paper to strengthen policy communication,people-to-people ties and focus on technology transfer provide a highly feasible suggestion on path of science and technology cooperation.In order to better achieve science and technology cooperation between the two sides,the rich experience of domestic enterprises“going out”,close cooperation between China and Arab countries,and the construction and cooperation of China-Arab think tanks also need to be taken seriously.