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Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences a Comparative Assessment of the Role of Energy in Qatar's East Asian Foreign Relat

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Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences a Comparative Assessment of the Role of Energy in Qatar's East Asian Foreign Relat View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Qatar University Institutional Repository QATAR UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES A COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF ENERGY IN QATAR'S EAST ASIAN FOREIGN RELATIONS: CASE STUDIES ON CHINA, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA BY REBEKAH PARK A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in Gulf Studies January 2017 © 2017 Rebekah Park. All Rights Reserved. COMMITTEE PAGE The members of the Committee approve the Thesis of Rebekah Park defended on 14/12/2016. Dr. Steven Wright Thesis/Dissertation Supervisor Dr. Abdou Ndoye Committee Member Dr. Curtis Andressen Committee Member Dr. Hela Miniaoui Committee Member Approved: Rashid Al-Kuwari, Dean, College of College of Arts and Sciences ii ABSTRACT PARK, REBEKAH, Masters : January : 2017, Gulf Studies Title: A Comparative Assessment of the Role of Energy in Qatar's East Asian Foreign Relations: Case Studies of China, Japan and South Korea Supervisor of Thesis: Dr. Steven Wright. Energy is an important factor in international relations and recently the global energy paradigm has been seen to be shifting towards the East. In light of such change, a comparative assessment of the role of energy in Qatar’ East Asian foreign relations will be conducted by taking China, Japan and South Korea as case studies. The research aimed to assess each of the bilateral relationship in terms of their origin and development in the energy sector generating an interpretation of their growing interdependence, taking into consideration the various domestic, regional and international influencing factors. At this level, LNG development and trade was adopted to see the extent of energy cooperation. In general, energy cooperation played the leading role in the three relationships, but to different degrees. Furthermore, all three bilateral relationship pertain to the ‘complex interdependence approach’ that is supported by the use of institutionalism and soft power. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My appreciation goes to the members of faculty, staff and students of Gulf Studies Program, who have supported me in times of need. I give my special thanks to my Supervisor, Dr. Steven Wright, who has always been patient with me throughout the course, giving me much support and advices. I am further grateful for my committee members Dr. Abdou Ndoye, Dr. Curtis Andressen and Dr. Hela Miniaoui, who have been generous with me even on sudden changes. Special thanks goes to my family, who have supported me in all aspects. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Literature Review......................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................................... 5 Research Question ....................................................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................ 6 Research Design ........................................................................................................................ 13 Chapter 2: Energy in Qatar’s Foreign Relations ...................................................................... 18 Qatar’s Natural Gas Overview ................................................................................................... 18 Qatar’s Development as an Energy Supplier ............................................................................. 22 Qatar’s Further Development through Soft Power .................................................................... 24 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 3: Qatar-China Relationship........................................................................................ 28 Energy Relationship ................................................................................................................... 29 Diplomatic Efforts and Strategic Relationship .......................................................................... 35 Economic Relationship .............................................................................................................. 38 Trade Activities and Trade Volumes. .................................................................................... 38 Investment Activities between Qatar and China. ................................................................... 43 Other Factors Enhancing Qatar-China Relations ....................................................................... 44 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 46 Chapter 4: Qatar-Japan Relationship........................................................................................ 47 Energy Relationship ................................................................................................................... 48 Diplomatic Efforts and Strategic Relationship .......................................................................... 53 Economic Relationship .............................................................................................................. 57 Trade Activities and Trade Volumes. .................................................................................... 57 Investment Activities between Qatar and Japan. ................................................................... 61 Other Factors Enhancing Qatar-Japan Relations ....................................................................... 63 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 64 Chapter 5: Qatar-Korea Relationship ....................................................................................... 66 Energy Relationship ................................................................................................................... 67 v Diplomatic Efforts and Strategic Relationship .......................................................................... 71 Economic Relationship .............................................................................................................. 73 Trade Activities and Trade Volumes. .................................................................................... 73 Investment Activities between Qatar and Korea. ................................................................... 76 Other Factors Enhancing Qatar-Korea Relations ....................................................................... 78 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 79 Chapter 6: Comparative Analysis .............................................................................................. 81 Energy Relationships ................................................................................................................. 82 Diplomatic, Economic and Cultural Association: ...................................................................... 95 Summary Conclusion and Identification of Challenges ............................................................ 98 Chapter 7: Summary and Conclusion ...................................................................................... 102 Limitations ............................................................................................................................... 104 Future Contribution .................................................................................................................. 104 References ................................................................................................................................... 105 Appendix: Interview Questions ................................................................................................ 129 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Total trade value between Qatar and China in USD ........................................40 Table 2: Total trade value between Qatar and Japan in USD ........................................58 Table 3: Total trade value between Qatar and Korea in USD ........................................74 Table 4: History of bilateral relationships ......................................................................85 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Gross production of natural gas of Qatar (1980-2013) ...................................19 Figure 2: Qatar’s LNG export to China .........................................................................33 Figure 3: Total trade volumes between Qatar and China in billion USD .......................41
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