BEIRUT, Aug. 31 -- The fourth China-Arab States Expo is a good opportunity for China and Arab countries to broaden their cooperation and build a future for their relations, said an Arab business leader.

Praising the existing cooperation in fields like technology, investment, and tourism between China and Arab states, Khaled Hanafy, secretary general of the Union of Arab Chambers, hoped for more "practical steps" in their relations.

He emphasized that the fourth China-Arab States Expo, which hosts a big audience of Arab businessmen and private sector representatives, is a good opportunity to achieve such goals.

The expo will be held in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Sept. 5-8.

The event will explore cooperation opportunities between China and Arab states in areas such as trade and investment, Internet Plus, cross-border e-commerce, infrastructure, and capacity cooperation.

Noting China has been opening up to the whole world including the Arab region, Hanafy listed some potential areas for further cooperation.

He expected industrial and technological clusters similar to those in China could be established in the region.

"I advise China to come to the Arab region and create economic zones for production and exporting," he said.

Other potential areas for collaboration between China and Arab states include electronic trade, said Hanafy, adding "China has one of the most popular e-commerce platforms which is Alibaba."

He said China and Arab countries can cooperate "in digital field where they can connect producers in Arab countries with consumers in China and vice versa, in addition to targeting countries outside China and the Arab world."

The business leader also focused on the potential of doing transactions with Arab states using renminbi, the Chinese currency.