CHINA FOREIGN POLICY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Muhammad Dhia Naufal Siraj

20180510124

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH YOGYAKARTA
2020
 A. Geographic Aspects

Pict. 1.1 Map of United Arab Emirates

https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Arab-Emirates/Land

The UAE is situated in the top right corner of the Arab Peninsula, bordered by East
Oman and South Arabia. All the bars of the Emirates are in the Persian Gulf opposite Iran and
are situated near the coasts for a span of 650 kilometers. The only Emirates in the Gulf of Oman
is Fujairah. Abu Dhabi is 87 per cent of the country's land mass, and has a clear desert landscape,
and the UAE occupies an area of 83,600 sq km. It has wild species, including gazelles and the
Arab oryx, which have been reintegrated in the region forty years since they were driven out.
Although 80% of the land mass is desert, other environmental areas include mountain regions
and coastal marine regions.

A peak extending over 1,910 meters (6266 ft) up near the Jabal Bil Ays in Oman (but
within the boundaries of the UAE) is the highest recorded in the world. On the Persian Gulf the
lowest level. Despite of arid climate, the world just has 3,8 percent vegetation and forestry. Date

1
palms, acacia and eucalyptus trees are usually located in an oasis. Sand storms in the UAE have
been normal, and due to poor visibility they may affect road traffic.1

There has been a disagreement about the exact boundaries of the land. Given the fact that
the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have concluded a secret agreement in 1974 which
resolved its three border conflicts, the legal status of the agreement is uncertain. The UAE
maintains a stretch of land surrounding Qatar to the northwest, of which the 1974 resolution
ceded Saudi Arabia. Saudi statements on the oil field in the south are still being challenged, and
the assertion on oasis of emirates around Al-deno Ayn in Saudio (and in Oman) has also been
questioned by Saudi Arabia. However, since the early 1990s, the Emirates have been in conflict
with Iran over three islands: Abū Mūsā, Greater and the Lesser Tunb.2

B. Demographic Aspects

Pict 1.2 Statistic of Population in UAE

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210600612000214

1
World Travel Guide, “United Arab Emirates Weather, Climate and Geography”, Accessed on 26 March 2020,
https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/weather-climate-geography/
2
William Guiraiche, “The UAE Geopolitics, Modenity and Tradition” (2016), Accessed on 26 March 2020

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 In fact, males are more than 3:1 women in the UAE. There are nearly equivalent ratios of
men and women among natives, as can be predicted, but the ratio is 3.7:1 among non-nationals.
Since in occupations such as manufacturing and education far more male employees are working
as opposed to female employees in accommodation, healthcare and the home business. Most
male expatriates do not have married or accompanied jobs. The Emirates of Abu Dabi and Dubai
are divided from the UAE National Office of Statistics through their own statistical offices and
they produce their own emirate unique figures through utilizing administrative details. Abu
Dhabi may appear to offer the most detailed evaluations, as the health care plan is needed for
Abu Dhabi citizens, and the report on health benefits also facilitates community registration. 3

The figures for the populations of Abu Dhabi and Dubai also posed concerns among
observers about the projected overall UAE population of 8.26 million. The total population of
Abu Dhabi and Dubai, both domestic and non-national, is projected at approximately 4.2 million,
and that of the other five Emirates, roughly 370,000 (2009 estimate). The five Emirates, if the
entire population of the UAE is currently 8.26 million, would have a population of around 3.7
million non-nationals. This seems doubtful as there was just 1 million residents in 2005 in the
non-national census of this Emirate. The particular demographic makeup of the UAE is also
demonstrated in Fig. 1, which reflects the Abu Dhabi Emirate population pyramid. The projected
global population is 2.3 million, about half of which are expatriate males between 20 and 59
years old.4

C. Leadership

In the early 1930s Shaikh Zayed received his first introduction to the industry today that
would define the UAE's growth when oil company crews came to perform preliminary
geological surveys. Shaikh Zayed took the position of the elder brother as Ruler of Abu Dabi on
6 August 1966 and was granted a mandate to establish the emirate as soon as possible. With sales
increasing as oil output rose, Shaikh Zayed conducted a major rework of facilities and
development schools The Development Fund in Trucial States was soon expanded, Housing,
schools and highways. Shaikh Zayed switched to practice, in 1968, with the British declaration

3
Gulf Labour Markets and Migration, “Demography, Migration, and the Labour Market in the UAE” (2015),
Accessed on 26 March 2020
4
Iain Blair, Amer Ahmad Sharif, Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health “Population structure and the burden of
disease in the United Arab Emirates” (2012), Accessed on 26 March 2020

3
 of the country's expulsion of the Emirates
from the Arabian Sea. Shaikh Zayed and
Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
jointly called for a federation including, in
addition to the seven emirates of the
Trucial States, Qatar and Bahrain. 5

Ultimately, on December 2, 1971 Shaikh

Zayed was joined by seven countries in
setting up the United States that was
officially formed on the international
stage. During a moment of global
instability in the world, the new nation
arose. A few days before that, Iran had
seized Ras Al Khaimah's islands of the
Greater and Lesser Tunb Islands and
landed troops on the Sharjah portion of the Abu Mousa peninsula. Global analysts have foretold
that the UAE would thrive even with difficulties and demonstrate that the seven Emirates vary
greatly between them and their neighbours. Shaikh Zayed was more positive and the early
pessimists 'expectations have been baseless. The stability, peace and economic growth that
characterizes the UAE today is, beyond question, attributable to the long-term dream and
formative position that the founding fathers of the UAE perform. The ideology of Shaikh Zayed
as a chief and state official has been focused on the best utilization of the country's capital for the
good of the people. Their goal was for the women of the UAE, whose dream for schooling, work
and equality was thriving for all Emiratis.

Sheik Zayed formalized the consultation mechanism and formed a National Consultative
Council in 1970, acknowledging the cycle of Abu Dhabi's rapid growth. The Council called
together the members of every single tribe. The Federal National Council, state parliament was
established in 1971 for the entire UAE. As the nation expanded, Shaikh Zayed had to protect the
natural environment and biodiversity. He felt that in the fight to live in the arid and challenging
5
Christopher M. Davidson, Middle East Policy Council “After Shaikh Zayed: The Politics Of Succession In Abu Dhabi
And The Uae”(2016), Accessed on 27 March 2020

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local climate, the nature of the Emirate citizens originated in part. Throughout his life Shaikh
Zayed focused on saving animals such as the Arabian Oryx and the sand gazelle. With the
coveted Gold Panda Prize, the World Wildlife Fund has acknowledged its significant
commitment. In the late eighties, Shaikh Zayed passed away in 2004, leaving a reputation as the
nation's father.6

6
Samir Salama, Staying Home “Six leaders and how they helped shape UAE” (2016), Accessed on 27 March 2020
https://gulfnews.com/going-out/society/six-leaders-and-how-they-helped-shape-uae-1.1937162

5
References
Davidson, Christopher M. 2006. "After Shaikh Zayed: The Politics Of Succession In Abu Dhabi And The
Uae." Middle East Policy Council 2.

Guiraiche, William. 2016. The UAE Geopolitics, Modernity and Tradition. I.B Tauris.

Gulf Labour Market and Migration. 2015. Demography, Migration, and the Labour Market in the UAE.
Gulf Research Center.

Iain Blair, Amer Ahmad Sharif. 2012. "Population structure and the burden of disease in the United Arab
Emirates." Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health 4.

Salama, Samir. 2016. gulfnews. December 02. Accessed March 27, 2020. https://gulfnews.com/going-
out/society/six-leaders-and-how-they-helped-shape-uae-1.1937162.

World Travel Guide. n.d. World Travel Guide. Accessed March 26, 2020.
https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/weather-climate-
geography/.