On October 25, 2025, the 2025 Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of the Chinese Association of Middle Eastern Studies, and the academic symposium “Strategic Autonomous Development of Middle Eastern Countries under the Global South Framework” convened in Yinchuan, Ningxia. Jointly hosted by the Chinese Society for Middle East Studies and Ningxia University, and organized by the Institute of Chinese-Arab Studies at Ningxia University, the event gathered over 200 experts, scholars, and graduate students from numerous universities and research institutions across China.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including: strategic autonomous development of Middle Eastern countries within the Global South framework; strategic cooperation between China and Middle Eastern nations under the Global South paradigm; development challenges and pathways for Middle Eastern countries amid global transformations; shifts in the Middle East's strategic landscape and trajectories of regional hotspot issues; regional and country studies in the Middle East alongside disciplinary development; and exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Middle Eastern civilizations.

Professor Ding Jun, Professor Ding Long, Professor Liu Zhongmin, Researcher Zhang Yuan, Associate Researcher Qian Xuming and Assistant Researcher Zhao Jing from the Middle East Studies Institute (MESI) of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) attended the conference and delivered academic presentations respectively. Professor Ding Jun delivered a keynote address titled “China and Middle Eastern Countries Creating and Enriching New Forms of Human Civilization Through Friendly Exchanges and Mutually Beneficial Cooperation in the New Era.” During the “Journal Editors' Presentation” segment, he reported on the journal development initiatives of Arab World Studies, Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies,  Reports on Middle East Development, and the journal development of Ministry of Education Joint Middle East Research Institute.

Professor Liu Zhongmin delivered a keynote address titled “The Relationship Between the Global South and the Middle East: Theory, History, and Reality” during the keynote session and served as a discussant for the second segment of the first sub-forum. Professor Ding Long presented a paper titled “The Multidimensional Perception of the Global South Discourse in Arab Countries” during the first segment of the first sub-forum and chaired the second segment of the same sub-forum. Researcher Zhang Yuan delivered a presentation titled “The Rise of the ‘Global South’ and Shifts in Middle Eastern Governance Concepts” during the first session of Forum 1. Associate Researcher Qian Xuming presented on “Geopolitical Fractures and Energy Dynamics: The Reconfiguration of the Global Oil Market Amid Middle Eastern Turmoil” during the second session of Forum 2. Assistant Researcher Zhao Jing delivered a presentation titled “An Analysis of Gulf States' Policies on Critical Minerals in Africa” during the second session of the Fifth Sub-Forum.

During the conference, participants from the MESI of SISU engaged in extensive exchanges with experts and scholars from the China-Arab States Research Institute at Ningxia University and other attending institutions. Over the years, the MESI of SISU has actively participated in academic activities organized by the Chinese Society for Middle East Studies, strengthened collaboration with the national Middle East research community, continuously advanced the development of China's Middle East research academic community, and contributed to building an independent Chinese knowledge system in Middle East studies.