Dr. Mohammed Al-Sudairi is an Affiliated Senior Research Fellow and Head of Asian Studies Program (Non-Resident) at KFCRIS. He joined KFCRIS in October 2015. He obtained his PhD in Comparative Politics from University of Hong Kong, his master's degree in International Relations from Peking University and in International History from London School of Economics (joint program), and his undergraduate degree in International Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Chinese (Mandarin). His research interests encompass Sino-Middle Eastern relations, Islamic and leftist connections between East Asia and the Arab World, and Chinese politics.  

Contact: malsudairi@kfcris.com

Full CV (PDF file)

Publications at KFCRIS

“China and the Russo-Ukrainian War: A View from the Gulf,” Commentary, 2022.

“The Prophet’s Dao along the Yalu: Muslim Histories in Northeast Asia,” Dirasat 62, 2021.

“‘Chinese’ Development Zones in the Gulf: The Case of Kuwait’s North Economic Zone (Silk City),” Special Report, 2020. (Co-authored with Alanoud Al-Sabah)

“The People's Republic in the Red Sea: A Holistic Analysis of China's Discursive and Material Footprint in the Region," Dirasat 52, 2020.

“Syria’s ‘China Dream’: Between the Narratives and Realities,” Commentary, 2019. (Co-authored with Andrea Ghiselli)

“The Communist Party of China’s United Front Work in the Gulf: The ‘Ethnic Minority Overseas Chinese’ of Saudi Arabia as a Case Study,” Dirasat 34, 2018.

“Some Observations on the Significance of President Xi Jinping’s Visit and the Problem of the Sino-Saudi Relationship,” Commentary, 2017.

“Changing State-Religion Dynamics in Xi Jinping's China: And Its Consequences for Sino-Saudi Relations,” Dirasat 19, 2017.

Major Works

"How Saudi Arabia Bent China to Its Technoscientific Ambitions," Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2023. (Co-authored with Steven Jiawei Hai and Kameal Al-Ahmad)

“Traditions of Māturīdism and anti-Wahhābism in China: an account of the Yihewani hard-liners of the Northwest,” Journal of Islamic Studies, 2021. 

“Arab Encounters with Maoist China: Transnational Journeys, Diasporic Lives and Intellectual Discourses,” Third World Quarterly, 2020.

“A Near-Normalisation? Sino-Saudi Diplomatic Flirtations between 1955 and 1957,” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, 2020. (Co-authored with Tingyi Wang)

“Marx’s Arabian Apostles: The Rise and Fall of the Saudi Communist Movement,”The Middle East Journal, 2019.