Over the past two decades, China has become Africa’s most important economic partner, prompting considerable debate on the drivers and impacts of China’s relations in the region.

In January 2022, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain arrived in China for a five-day visit with their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. This collective visit, which also seemingly solidified what policy analysts have been referring to as ‘the Gulf’s eastward turn,’ signaled a potential loosening of American hegemony in the region.

Language is a wide-ranging subject. I would like to use this short blog to share my thoughts about why it is important to consider the Chinese language when we talk about 21st century Sino-Arab relations.