The main research areas of the divison are international relations in Middle East and Africa. The former research mainly involves the relations between major powers and the Middle East, the relations between emerging countries and the Middle East, the relations between the Gulf region, the Middle East peace process etc. The research of the latter mainly involves US-African relations, Europe-African relations, Japan-African relations, people to people exchanges between China and Africa, BRICS-African relations, great powers' aids to Africa, and African development issues.