The New Silk Road: How a Rising Arab World is Turning towards China
VIEW EVENT DETAILSA Luncheon Presentation by BEN SIMPFENDORFER, Chief China Economist, Royal Bank of Scotland
The old Silk Road, one of the world's great trade corridors with a history of some 2,000 years, has long linked China to the Arab world. A new Silk Road, featuring closer trade and economic cooperation, is now being built by the two sides. Yet it is no coincidence that Arab traders have returned to China at a time when China is fast regaining its share of the global economy. Why is the Arab world turning away from the West and rediscovering China? What should we make of China's relations with the Middle East? Where is the growth in trade and investment? What is the importance of oil and Islam on the relationship? What will this relationship look like a decade from now? What implications does this relationship have on the global economy?
Ben Simpfendorfer is Chief China Economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland. Prior to this, he was with JP Morgan Chase as Senior China Economist. An Arabic and Chinese speaker, he has lived in Beirut, Damascus, Beijing, and Hong Kong. He is the author of The New Silk Road: How A Rising Arab World Is Turning Away From The West And Rediscovering China, and contributor to a forthcoming book published by the U.S. Naval Academy looking at the Gulf and the Great Powers.
The old Silk Road, one of the world's great trade corridors with a history of some 2,000 years, has long linked China to the Arab world. A new Silk Road, featuring closer trade and economic cooperation, is now being built by the two sides. Yet it is no coincidence that Arab traders have returned to China at a time when China is fast regaining its share of the global economy. Why is the Arab world turning away from the West and rediscovering China? What should we make of China's relations with the Middle East? Where is the growth in trade and investment? What is the importance of oil and Islam on the relationship? What will this relationship look like a decade from now? What implications does this relationship have on the global economy?
Ben Simpfendorfer is Chief China Economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland. Prior to this, he was with JP Morgan Chase as Senior China Economist. An Arabic and Chinese speaker, he has lived in Beirut, Damascus, Beijing, and Hong Kong. He is the author of The New Silk Road: How A Rising Arab World Is Turning Away From The West And Rediscovering China, and contributor to a forthcoming book published by the U.S. Naval Academy looking at the Gulf and the Great Powers.
Event Details
Tue 10 Aug 2010
JW Marriott Hotel, Level 3, Pacific Place, Admiralty Hong Kong
HK$390 Asia Society members/full-time students; HK$490 non-members