Mordechai Chaziza writes for East Asia Forum about the growing relationship between China and the Gulf countries in the field of technological innovation.
The Dragon has a strategic interest in prevailing in the region. Chaziza writes: The joint development of telecommunications, smart cities, artificial intelligence and technology-oriented businesses is a complementary endeavour for China and Gulf states. The young population of the Gulf are exposed to the growing presence of Chinese technology, ranging from social networking applications to digital payment platforms.
Note again the author on the importance of the Digital Silk Road: The Digital Silk Road (DSR) is the technological arm of the Belt and Road Initiative. The DSR Initiative has the potential to add US$255 billion to regional GDP and create 600,000 technology-related jobs in Gulf Cooperation Council countries by 2030. Still, DSR-related projects remain unevenly distributed among the Gulf states.
Interesting is the Chaziza’s emphasis on the choice, between Washington and Beijing, by the Gulf countries: will strategic mediations be possible on the two major issues of the American military presence and the Chinese technological one ?
