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Naser al-Tamimi is a UK-based Middle East analyst and the author of the book, China-Saudi Arabia Relations, 1990-2012: Marriage of Convenience or Strategic Alliance? (Routledge, September 2013). He is also Al Arabiya’s (http://english.alarabiya.net/) regular contributor with a particular research interest in energy politics; the political economy of Saudi Arabia; and Gulf/Middle East-Asia relations. In addition to his core research interest, al-Tamimi is a UK-based independent political consultant and journalist. He has worked long years for many Arab newspapers and written/edited several articles and books (in Arabic and English) on the most pertinent political and economical issues affecting the Middle East. Al-Tamimi holds a Ph.D. in international relations and an M.A. in Middle East politics from Durham University, UK.
During the 1970s the Communist Party dominated almost all walks of life in Vietnam. This strict control, especially in regard to the economy, failed to achieve sustainable development. Vietnamese authorities then began to pursue a policy of openness to the outside world, and the Doi Moi, or “renovation,” was launched in 1986. As a result of this and other gradual reforms, Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, with annual GDP growth averaging 7.1 percent between 2000 and 2012—a rate that the country is expected to sustain over the next decade. In this context, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Vietnam relations are promising and may develop steadily over the coming years.
