From April 9 to 11, 2019, the first Asian Arab Conference was held in Saudi Riyadh. The conference was hosted by the renowned think tank knowledge research and exchange center in Saudi Arabia. More than 100 experts and scholars in Arabic teaching and research communities from 18 countries in Asia attended the conference. Professor Zhu Weilie, Director of the Expert Committee of the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development( CARC), headed the delegation of SISU.
Professor Zhu Weili delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony
Professor Zhu Weilie delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. In his speech, he reviewed the ten-year brewing and preparation process of the Asian Arab Conference and thanked Professor Yahya of the Knowledge Research and Exchange Center for his insight and persistence. He believed that while the study of Orientalism in the current Western world is highly regarded, the study of Arab studies in Asia is still a new thing. Therefore, the convening of this conference is a milestone in the study of Asian Arabic studies, which has a great significance and also a model of South-South cooperation for cultural and academic exchanges among Asian countries. This time, China sent more than 20 delegates to attend the conference, which fully highlights the status of China's Arab studies in Asia.
The SISU scholars attending the conference this time included Professor Wang Youyong, Deputy Director of the CARC, the Director of the Research Department; Professor Chen Jie, the Professor of the Arabic Department of the Oriental Language Institute; Professor Chen Yueyang, Associate Professor of the CARC, they respectively participated in the speeches and discussions of three sub-forums, “Arabic Translation Research”, “Status and Future of Arabic in Asian Countries”, and the Civilization and Communication, and discussed and exchanged with counterparts from other Asian countries in-depth.
Chinese scholars and the organizers took a group photo.
Established in 2016, the Saudi Knowledge Research and Exchange Center is one of the important think tanks of the Saudi royal family. The main research direction is humanities research and contemporary international research. In November 2018, the CARC was entrusted by the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia to host the delegation of the think tank. The two sides had friendly exchanges on issues such as think tank cooperation, cultural exchanges, classic translation, reform and development, and governance of the country.