CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 37

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VI (1)
ARAM ABAJYAN
NEW ERA WITH NEW OPPORTUNITIES: THE
PERSPECTIVES OF CHINA AND THE GULF COOPERATION
COUNCIL ECONOMIC AND ENERGY RELATIONS
Abstract
The main purpose of this article is to analyze the origins, historical
background, development plans and the future between GCC (Gulf
Cooperation Council) unit and rising China. Investigating various aspects
of economic, as well as energy cooperation between the sides help us
comprehend present situation and also predict the possible perspectives
among them.
The GCC’s economic advantageous status in world affairs with its
significant global shifts is attractive to major powers. Especially its
cooperation with principal economic partner China, tends to enter new
and more promising level in the field of international relations.
Although China-GCC relations are developing in multilevel perspectives,
oil sector is going to remain the most significant ‘driving force’ shaping
these ties at least in foreseeable future: Beijing’s growing energy
demands will stimulate the process. On the other hand, ensuring world
major power’s huge energy needs can help GCC unit make its transition
processes from regional to global international arena more rapidly and
softly.
Keywords: China, GCC, economy, energy, cooperation
Introduction
China’s growing energy demands on the one hand, and its
development of diverse economic projects with the Council on the
other highlight the growing significance of bilateral cooperative ties,
which the article tends to explore. Indeed, in 21 st century the main
goal of China is to intensify its energy cooperation with oil-rich GCC,
however, it will be more proper to accept the year of 1993 as a
milestone for their relations, when China becoming a net oil importer
country started to attach more significance to GCC. It will be
illustrated below that energy security naturally became an essential
objective and important factor between China-GCC relations. New era
opens up new opportunities, and the prospects of cooperation will be
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