Arabic Business and Economy Text Selection

Author: Yang Jihong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Since the reform and opening-up, China's foreign trade and economic cooperation have flourished, and it has become one of the most dynamic regions in the world for economic development. After joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China has increased its economic exchanges with the international community, playing an increasingly important role on the global economic stage. It can be confidently believed that with the passage of time, the scope and scale of China's foreign economic activities will continue to expand. In the first half of 2000, the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Guidance Committee for Foreign Language Majors in Higher Education held the "Strategic Symposium on Cultivating Advanced Foreign Language Compound Talents for the 21st Century" in Shanghai. The symposium conducted an in-depth discussion on the cultivation of foreign language talents in the new century and the demand for foreign language talents in national economic construction and social development under the new circumstances. The conference concluded that, with the development of the situation, reforms in the cultivation model, curriculum system, and teaching content of foreign language talents should be the focus of foreign language teaching reform in the new century. Arabic Business and Economic Texts is a sub-project of the Research on Curriculum System and Teaching Content Reform for Cultivating Compound Arabic Business and Economic Talents, funded by the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Guidance Committee for Foreign Language Majors in Higher Education. It is well-known that the field of foreign economic and trade activities is vast and the content is extensive. However, due to space limitations, this textbook selects only the essentials and covers the following content:
Unit 1: International Economic and Trade Organizations: Including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, etc.
Unit 2: Arabic Regional Organizations: Including the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Maghreb Union, etc.
Unit 3: World Economy: Including economic globalization, an overview of world economic development, international economic relations, information technology and the knowledge economy, international finance, oil and the world economy, the European Union, etc.
Unit 4: Arabic Economy: Including the current status and development strategies of the Arabic economy, the process of economic integration among Arab countries, challenges facing the Arabic economy, the information industry and e-commerce in Arab countries, the private sector and privatization processes in Arab countries, etc.
Unit 5: Economic and Trade Laws of Arab Countries: Including the Unified Customs Law of GCC Member States, the Foreign Investment Law of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, etc.
Unit 6: China's Economy and China-Arab Economic and Trade Relations: Including an overview of China's economy, China and the World Trade Organization, China's economic and trade relations with Arab countries, etc.
The editors believe that the main teaching objectives of this textbook are threefold: First, through extensive reading of Arabic business and economic texts, students will learn and master Arabic business and economic terminology and idiomatic expressions. Second, based on reading and understanding the original texts, students will learn to summarize the content of the articles. Third, through reading business and economic texts, students will learn to write business and economic research reports, including comprehensive research reports on economic and trade conditions, market research reports, and industry research reports.
Given the substantial content of this textbook, the editors have the audacity to propose a few suggestions for teaching, for reference only:
1. It is recommended to adopt a combination of classroom lectures and after-class reading to focus on cultivating and training students' reading skills, improving their reading speed and quality.
2. After completing teaching on several chapters, it is suggested that teachers organize students to discuss or debate the learned content in class or outside of class.
3. Under the guidance of the teacher, it is recommended that students, based on understanding, summarize the comprehensive or partial content of relevant articles in Chinese in the form of reviews, laying a foundation for conducting comprehensive, market, and industry research after graduation.
Additionally, the content of chapters on the World Trade Organization, the Gulf Cooperation Council, economic globalization, an overview of world economic development, information technology and the knowledge economy, the current status and development strategies of the Arabic economy, the process of economic integration among Arab countries, the information industry and e-commerce in Arab countries, and China's economic and trade relations with Arab countries is particularly important. It is recommended to pay special attention to these chapters during the teaching process.
This textbook is suitable for undergraduate students of Arabic majors in higher education institutions, as well as self-learners with a certain foundation in Arabic. It can also be used as a reference for Arabic-speaking professionals engaged in foreign economic and trade activities.