The Arab Gulf states in Central Asia: Challengers in China's backyard? MECACS Seminar Series Event via MS Teams - email irevents for the link

China is the top trade partner for all Central Asian countries; it is also among the top investors in the region. At the same time, engagement between the Arab Gulf states and Central Asia has become more robust and more multi-faceted over the past few years. The presentation by Dr Li-Chen Sim traces the evolution of Gulf-Central Asia ties with a view to addressing the ways in which this is impacting China's interests in Central Asia.

Dr Li-Chen Sim is a specialist on hydrocarbon and low carbon energies in the Gulf
and wider Middle East and their intersection with international relations. Her
research is applied to the political economies of development and foreign policy
implications for Gulf-Asia exchanges and Russia-Middle East interactions. Its
significance resonates with issues of policy implications and technological
innovations.
Her most recently published books include Asian Perceptions of Gulf Security
(Routledge, 2023), Low Carbon Energy in the Middle East and North Africa (Palgrave
2021), and External Powers and the Gulf Monarchies(Routledge, 2018). Her articles
have appeared in top tier academic journals such as Cambridge Review of
International Affairs, Energy Research & Social Science, Journal of Contemporary
China, Policy Studies, and Asian Security; on forums hosted by the Atlantic Council
and Harvard University's Belfer Center; and in popular media like the South China
Morning Post and Natural Gas Intelligence.
She is active on the speaking circuit, having been a guest at Chatham House London,
Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington DC, Emirates Center for Strategic Studies
& Research, Foreign Service Institute in Washington DC, INSEAD Abu Dhabi, and
Japan's Institute of Energy Economics among others.
With a PhD from Oxford, she is currently an Assistant Professor at Khalifa University
in the United Arab Emirates and a non-resident scholar at the US Middle East
Institute.