The Gulf Research Center

Will Organize in Cooperation with Durham University  

East Asia - Gulf Workshop

October 22 to 23, 2008

Dubai

With relations between the Gulf region and East Asia expanding, the Gulf Research Center (GRC) in cooperation with Durham University and with the support of the Center for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) organized a workshop to examine more in-depth some of the specific aspect of the ties that are shaping current policy debates. Overall, the meeting included a political, security as well as economic angle and focused on the specifics of regional integration, economic development and Japan's security policy. In addition to Chinese regional policies pursued within the context of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the opportunities and challenges of Shanghai and Dubai in the global financial system, as well as Japan's security policy with reference to the Iraq War and the Iranian nuclear issue were examined. Much of the ensuing debate focused on the regional perspective from the Arab Gulf States and the kind of role that is envisioned by East Asian countries to move the mutual ties forward.