The "Silk Roads", through the many engraved paths of communication, by land and sea over the centuries, brought China, the Arabian Peninsula and Oman close. The 9th Conference on Ibadi Studies held at Peking University (PKU) in September (17–19) 2018, entitled "China and the World: Development and Cooperation from the Perspective of the Belt and Road Initiative. Diachronic and Cross-border Transmission of Ibadi Knowledge", tried precisely to highlight the paths of relations and the spread of knowledge between these two worlds, although by definition different, but which for many centuries have been contributors in various communications, commercial and cultural networks. The project, both old and new, brings back the issue of the geographical connection of China and the Arab world, a connection of cultural, religious, commercial and economic benefit. How to reconcile the various meetings of the long and varied communications between China and the Arabian Peninsula, between China and Oman? This was the biggest challenge of the conference, from which this volume delivers the accumulated knowledge to the general and specialized readers.
