The 2024 Annual Conference of the China Middle East Society and the academic seminar on "Exploration of Modernization between China and Middle Eastern Countries" took place over the weekend at Northwest University in Xi’an, Shaanxi province in Northwest China.

The China Middle East Society holds its annual conference in Xi’an over the weekend.

Gao Jinxiao, the deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee, said during the opening ceremony that Middle Eastern countries reside within the core area of the "the Belt and Road," holding immense strategic importance for China. The longstanding friendly exchanges between China and the Middle East, guided by the spirit of the "Silk Road", have consistently yielded cooperative achievements.

Sun Qingwei, the president of Northwest University, highlighted the institution's contributions and successes in Middle East research, talent cultivation and community engagement. He expressed the university's commitment to advancing Middle East studies to further bolster China's global engagement and modernization efforts through collaborative discussions, exchanges and partnerships.

Wang Lincong, the president of the China Middle East Association, emphasized the association's pivotal role in elevating the discipline of Middle East studies, intensifying comparative research on modernization between China and Middle Eastern nations, actively addressing contemporary issues in the region, and enhancing the development of a robust talent training system focused on the Middle East.

Wang Lincong said the China Middle East Society will continue collaborating with Arab scholars to foster academic dialogue, contribute expertise to the establishment of an independent knowledge framework for China Middle East studies, and deepen bilateral relations between China and the Middle East.

Following the opening ceremony, Zhai Jun, China's special envoy for Middle Eastern affairs and former vice-minister of foreign affairs, delivered a keynote address.

Subsequently, 22 experts and scholars presented keynote speeches on shifts in the Middle East's strategic landscape and pertinent regional topics. Engaging discussions unfolded across six sub-forums, encompassing themes such as the "Three Initiatives" (Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative), China-Middle East cooperation, pathways to modernization for both China and Middle Eastern nations, regional strategic dynamics, major countries' development trajectories and international influence in the Middle East, regional ethnology, frontier topics in Middle East studies, and cultural exchanges with Chinese characteristics.

On Sunday afternoon, the seminar featured the "Third China Middle East Society Youth Forum" tailored for graduate students. Professors Wang Lincong and Huang Minxing delivered specialized talks on "Research Methodologies for Middle Eastern Regions and Nations" and "Key Aspects of Middle Eastern Modernization", offering invaluable insights to budding scholars in the field.