Abu Dhabi University (ADU) has been selected by the Association of Arab Universities (AArU) to represent the UAE in the "10 + 10 Cooperation" initiative, which aims to enhance Chinese-Arab education through collaboration and knowledge exchange. ADU, globally renowned for its highly ranked business and economics programs, will represent the region in economics, trade, and investment, partnering with the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), a leading Chinese university. ADU’s business school has been recognized as the top business school in the UAE and the Arab region and ranks 101-125 globally according to the Times Higher Education Rankings by subject (THE). Additionally, it is among the elite one percent of business schools worldwide to hold double accreditation from both the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
The initiative was launched during the inaugural international “Universities and Artificial Intelligence Technology” Conference held on June 24-25 in Amman, Jordan. It brought together ten Arabic and Chinese universities across ten programs, aiming to advance educational excellence and strengthen economic ties between China and the Arab region. These programs focus on key subject areas recognized globally as priority sectors, including information technology, agricultural development, healthcare, medical innovation, green innovation, energy transition, inter-civilizational dialogue, youth talent development, public policy, space technology, economics, trade, and investment.
Professor Ghassan Aouad, Chancellor of ADU, said: “ADU continuously seeks to enhance its academic offerings through international collaborations in line with the UAE’s ongoing efforts to position the nation as a global knowledge hub. We are working with over 3,500 professors from across the globe as part of our Global Engagement Program to provide our students with a well-rounded educational environment and advance their knowledge and critical thinking skills”.
The conference featured key stakeholders such as H.E. Chen Chuandong, the Chinese Ambassador to Jordan, Professor Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the AArU, and Professor Yan Chunhua, Vice Chairman of China-Arab Higher Education. Representing ADU were Professor Ghassan Aouad, Chancellor of ADU, and Professor Sherine Farouk, Associate Provost for Academic Projects and Internationalization at ADU.
Key topics highlighted during the conference included the role of federated learning as a bridge between machine learning and data protection, the importance of integrating the digital economy into academic curricula, and the expanding role of AI technology in higher education. Through this initiative, universities will collaborate to host educational workshops fostering cross-cultural understanding among students, joint research projects exploring cutting-edge topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the economy, and information technology, as well as collaborative teaching endeavors to enrich the educational experience and enhance curricula.
As part of the long-standing UAE-China relationship, both countries have recently signed 19 agreements to boost investments in key sectors such as tourism, industry, technology, media, entrepreneurship, logistics, and the Belt and Road initiative, among others. The exceptional economic partnership between the UAE and China continues to thrive, achieving new levels of competitiveness. In 2023, the UAE's non-oil trade with China reached an impressive AED 296 billion (US$81 billion), marking a 4.2 percent increase from 2022. China remains the UAE's top non-oil trade partner in 2023, accounting for 12 percent of UAE trade.
