The fourth China-Arab States Expo was held in Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Sept. 5.

The fourth China-Arab States Expo is opened in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Sept. 5, 2019.(Photo by Liu Feng/ People’s Daily )

Cao Jianming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, attended the opening ceremony, read a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping and delivered a keynote speech.

Aiming to enhance friendship, deepen cooperation and pursue common development, the expo attracted over 12,600 participants from 2,900 regional organizations, commerce chambers, associations and enterprises in 89 countries, outnumbering those of the three previous sessions of the event.

Guests from both home and abroad gathered at the Ningxia International Hall at the foot of Helan Mountain and by the Yellow River, to renew friendship and seek business opportunities.

Under the theme of "New opportunity, new future", the event features trade fairs, forums and exhibitions on trade and investment, Internet plus, cross-border e-commerce, infrastructure, agriculture, etc., to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Arab states.

“I particularly investigated a livestock farm in Ningxia during my visit to China this time, as agriculture is an important industry in Mauritania and I hope to learn from China’s experiences,” said Boydiel Houmeid, Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

He told People’s Daily that the China-Arab States Expo provides an important platform for each party to strengthen mutual understanding and deepen cooperation, saying he hopes to gain practical results from the event.

The Republic of Niger takes great delight in participating in the expo, said Iro Sani, First Vice-President of the National Assembly of the country.

The China-Arab States Expo demonstrates the close relationship between China and the Arab countries as well as the fruitful results they have achieved, and such relationship not only exists at the governmental level, but also among the peoples of developing countries and China, he noted.

New opportunities lead to bright future. The four-day event, further carrying out the spirits of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, will host a series of activities including an opening ceremony, China-Arab States Business Summit, China-Arab States Technology Transfer & Innovation Cooperation Conference, Online Silk Road Conference and Serial Activities of Theme Province (Jiangsu).

These activities will establish a high-level platform for international politicians, business leaders and scholars to communicate, discuss cooperation opportunities, and work together for common development.

“Ningxia will make good use of the important platform of the China-Arab States Expo to promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), take opportunities and release potential, and further open air, land and internet passages to Arab states,” said Shi Taifeng, secretary of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Shi noted that the region will further improve the capacity cooperation and technology exchange mechanisms between China and Arab countries, and expand their cooperation in trade, technology, energy, agriculture and tourism.

The ancient Silk Road is a witness to the long history of the friendship between China and Arab states, as well as the collision and fusion of the two civilizations. So far, China has signed cooperative documents under the BRI framework with 18 Arab countries, and both sides have achieved fruitful results in infrastructure, energy, trade parks, high tech and finance cooperation.

It’s been almost ten years since the first China-Arab States Expo. The fourth session of the event today demonstrates a larger pattern and wider platform that are joined by more parties at a deeper level.

Located at the hinterland of the Northwest China, Ningxia is looking forward to opening more. Amid the unremitting efforts of the region to pursue development, a model of all-round, multi-level, and wide-ranging opening-up is gradually taking shape.