CAIRO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- China studies is increasingly serving as an intellectual bridge for exchanges between Chinese and Arab civilizations, said participants at a China-Arab dialogue held in Cairo.
Around 140 officials, experts, scholars and representatives from various sectors across China and Arab countries attended the "World Dialogue on China Studies: Arab States Session" on Tuesday.
Mohamed Kamal, chairman of the Egyptian Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said China studies should not be limited to understanding China's history, civilization and language, but should also examine the transformations taking place in the country, its development experience and its growing role in the international system.
"China's global initiatives have provided the Arab region and Global South countries with new research perspectives for examining development and governance issues," said Ezzat Saad, director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
Ahmed Kandil, deputy director of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said Arab scholars study China not only to translate and introduce Chinese thought and philosophy, but more importantly to "create a basis for China-Arab dialogue."
Outside the venue, an exhibition of research publications by Chinese and Arab scholars drew participants' attention, featuring academic books and journals on topics including regional governance, Chinese modernization and China-Arab civilizational dialogue.
Yan Haiying, a professor in the Department of History at Peking University, said that "some research methods used in the study of ancient Chinese history can offer reference for research on other Eastern civilizations, while materials and research experience accumulated in fields such as Egyptology can also provide inspiration for the study of early Chinese civilization."
Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass spoke highly of Egypt-China archaeological cooperation in recent years, expressing hope for further joint archaeological projects, stronger cooperation in training professionals, greater two-way sharing of academic resources and research findings, and deeper exchanges and mutual learning between the two ancient civilizations.
"We should not only carry forward China studies, but also develop the field and give it an Arab voice," said Hassan Al-Daja, a professor of strategic studies at Jordan's Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, suggesting that Arab scholars strengthen direct exchanges with Chinese academia by publishing research in Chinese and cooperating with Chinese institutions. ■