China’s Rising Popularity among Arab Youth

Findings of the Arab Youth Survey 2023, conducted by ASDA’A BCW, a pioneer of the public relations industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), show that a whopping majority of Arab youth in the MENA region consider China as an ally of their countries. The 15^th edition of the ASDA’A BCW Youth Survey, the largest of its kind in the Arab world, conducted from March 27 to 12 April, 2023 among 3,600 Arab youth aged 18 to 24 across 53 cities in 18 states reveals that 80 percent of respondents see China as an ally to their countries – the Asian giant was only second to Turkey, which ranked first with 82 percent – followed by the UK, Germany, France, India and the United States which placed 3^rd4^th 5^th 6^th and 7^th respectively.

Over the last 5 years, China’s popularity among Arab youth has increased dramatically; the global powerhouse has secured a position among the region’s top 5 countries seen as allies, a list which for years has been dominated by Arab countries and the United States. In the last six editions of the ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey, China has moved from not being among the top 5 countries seen as allies in 2018 and the years prior, to placing 4^thconsecutively in 2020and 2021– ranking first on the region’s list of top five non-Arab nations considered as allies in 2022, a position it held for three consecutive years before it was surpassed by Turkey in 2023.

China’s ascension to the list of top 5 countries seen as allies by Arab youth in recent years may appear to be out of the blue, but it is far from a fluke, in fact, this is undoubtedly the outcome of almost two decades of unflinching efforts the Asian giant has commitment to promote trade and investments, complemented by its prowess in regional conflict mediation in recent months. From 2005 to 2022, China invested more than US$6.7 billion in the MENA region – over the period, China has contributed significantly to efforts dedicated to bridge infrastructure gaps, foster socio-economic development and position the Arab world as an attractive destination for global investments. China’s colossal and consistent effort, over the specified period has attracted the admiration of all and sundry, including the Arab youth (below the age of 30), who account for around 60 percent of the Arab world’s total population.

Through thick and thin, China has offered significant contributions to the development of the Arab world – facilitating the realization of strategic national goals and visions in the MENA region. For example, from 20 November to 18 December 2022 Qatar hosted the FIFA world Cup, becoming the first country in the Middle East to bring the Mundial home – Selected by FIFA as the best ever World Cup, China played a key role by supporting Qatar to bring this remarkable achievement into fruition. From brand marketing, manufacturing (renewable energy, water supplies, buses, stadium construction, fan village for accommodation) to cultural derivatives, Chinese enterprises provided crucial services that were central to the success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which engaged around 5 billion people around the world. For example, Qatar and the China Railway Construction Corporation jointly constructed the magnificent Lusail Stadium – shaped like a date palm bowl and an enamel lantern, the stadium, which is the largest by capacity in Qatar and the Middle East was the main venue for the World Cup and eventually hosted the final game of the tournament.

Again, at the Expo 2020 Dubai held from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, the first world fair to be held in the Middle East, China, which had one of the largest pavilions was one of the keen supporters of the global event, whose impact is expected to drive decades-long growth in Dubai and the entire United Arab Emirates (UAE) – fostering job creation and creating new opportunities for growth. In fact, while parties including the European Parliament urged member states and companies to boycott the Expo 2020 Dubai, China, conversely supported the UAE – through deep and broad cooperation with China, the UAE enhanced capacities for pandemic control and prevention, information sharing and COVID-19 vaccine research and production – contributing significantly to the UAE’s universal vaccination and helping the country in becoming one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.

Clearly, China’s enormous and consistent trade and investments and support to Arab countries have yielded remarkable socio-economic impact – but challenges remain. To further address the region’s daunting challenges including youth unemployment and strengthen the win-win cooperation between China and Arab countries, now and into the future, the Asian giant is mediating regional conflicts to ensure peace and stability and concurrently leveraging several Chinese projects including the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to foster sustainable development. For instance, in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Digital Silk Road (DSR), the telecommunications component of the BRI, could create 600,000 technology-related jobs and add US$255 billion to the region’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. These invaluable contributions, which increasingly promotes prosperity and improves the wellbeing of people in Arab countries, is what's driving China’s popularity in the MENA region.

About the Author
Alexander Ayertey Odonkor is a global economist with keen interest in the social, environmental and economic landscape of both developing and developed countries, particularly in Asia, Africa and Europe. He is a columnist for the China Global Television Network (CGTN), The Brussels Times, China Daily, The Diplomat, Business and Financial Times and several others. He holds a master’s degree in Finance and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance, together with a comprehensive postgraduate education, spanning entrepreneurship, environmental and social management, mining, risk management, electronic trading, and business management pursued at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Curtin University, University of Adelaide, New York Institute of Finance and Delft University of Technology, respectively.