| Summary/Abstract |
Driven by the need to survive in a predominately non-Muslim society,
Chinese Muslims, or the Chinese-speaking Hui people, have traditionally played the role of a middleman minority. During the last few
decades, benefiting from the strengthening economic ties between
China and the Arab world, especially the Arabian Gulf countries, Hui
Muslims have gained greater visibility and relevance in Sino-Arab relations. Enabled by their dual identity, Hui Muslims have evolved from a
middleman minority that exists on the margin to cultural brokers who
are increasingly central in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Drawing on
a multiyear ethnographic study of overseas Chinese in Dubai—the most
important trade hub and a rising global city in the Arab world, this
article shows that through actively utilizing religious and cultural
capital, Hui Muslims in Dubai play the role of trusted mediators
between diverse Chinese interests and the Arab Muslim elites and have
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