浙侨英频  China, Arab states eye more cooperation

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Visitors interact with a robot at the United Arab Emirates booth at the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on August 19. HU DONGMEICHINA DAILY

Xi calls for efforts to promote peace, mutual benefits and win-win results

China is ready to work with the Arab states to promote peace, cooperation and development for mutual benefit and win-win results, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi made the remark in a congratulatory message delivered to the fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened on Thursday in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

He called on Arab states to work with China on high-quality construction of the Belt and Road to take the strategic partnership between them to a higher level and jointly build the China-Arab states community with a shared future for a new era.

Designed as a platform for economic and financial cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the expo, which closes on Sunday, is being held both online and offline under the theme of strengthening trade and economic cooperation and jointly building the Belt and Road.

Pledging to promote economic and trade cooperation between China and Arab countries, government officials, experts, and business leaders from both sides are bullish about the prospects for China-Arab cooperation based on historical bonds and strong friendly ties, as well as the positive role played by these ties in assisting global recovery and growth.

Facing the pandemic and profound changes in the world, China and the Arab states need to join hands and seek common development more than ever, tap business opportunities and deepen cooperation, Qian Keming, China's vice-minister of commerce, said at the opening ceremony of the event.

Together with Arab countries and based on current cooperation, China is confident that the two sides' cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy, new energy and artificial intelligence will be broadened, raising China-Arab economic and trade cooperation to a new level, he said.

Kamal Hassan Ali, assistant secretary-general for economic affairs at the League of Arab States, said via video link that the Arab region has become one of the main areas covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, which he described as a great global project.

He also said China is widely popular in the Arab region and that China provides the most prominent experience that Arab countries can learn from to revitalize the economy after the pandemic.

As of July, China has signed BRI cooperation documents with 19 Arab economies. China-Arab energy cooperation has been deepening, while major projects in the fields of electricity, communication and industrial parks keep increasing and cooperation has been advanced in areas such as nuclear energy, satellites and new energy, according to a report released at the expo.

China has become the largest trading partner of Arab countries, which are China's largest overseas supplier of crude oil, thanks to their complementary trade structure, according to data from the ministry.

Bilateral trade totaled $239.8 billion last year, while China's exports to Arab countries grew by 2.2 percent year-on-year to $123.1 billion. China's direct investment in Arab countries amounted to $20.1 billion by 2020, while the latter's investments in China totaled $3.8 billion.

Thanks to the tangible growth of the BRI, China Railway Construction Corp Ltd, a State-owned infrastructure project provider, plans to complete construction of Rotana Hotels and Resorts in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, a landmark hotel construction project worth 340 million dirhams ($92.6 million), in September 2023.

Wang Wenzhong, the CRCC's vice-president, said the CRCC will deploy more resources in key markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as its subsidiaries there have already built many projects, including bridges, tunnels, buildings, roads, residential buildings, office complexes and other commercial buildings.

Hu Dongmei in Yinchuan contributed to this story.

【背景阅读】

习近平向第五届中国－阿拉伯国家博览会致贺信

8月19日，国家主席习近平向第五届中国－阿拉伯国家博览会致贺信。

习近平指出，中阿人民传统友好，历久弥坚。近年来，中阿双方不断加强战略协调和行动对接，共建“一带一路”合作成果丰硕，中国持续保持阿拉伯国家第一大贸易伙伴国地位。面对新冠肺炎疫情，中国和阿拉伯国家携手抗疫，树立了守望相助、共克时艰的典范。

习近平强调，中国愿同阿拉伯国家一道，共谋合作发展，共促和平发展，实现互利共赢，高质量共建“一带一路”，推动中阿战略伙伴关系迈上更高水平，携手打造面向新时代的中阿命运共同体！

第五届中国－阿拉伯国家博览会当日在宁夏银川开幕，博览会由商务部、中国国际贸易促进委员会和宁夏回族自治区人民政府共同举办。

经贸联通 汇聚四海——中阿博览会搭建“一带一路”经贸合作平台

新华社银川8月18日电 中国与阿拉伯国家优势互补、利益交汇。自首次举办8年来，中阿博览会聚焦经贸合作，逐步将中阿经贸“朋友圈”扩大到“一带一路”，乃至全世界。结合全球经济发展的新形势，第五届中阿博览会不断拓展经贸合作新领域，与参会参展国家和地区共建共享“一带一路”。

经贸互补推动中阿务实合作

中阿博览会前身为中阿经贸论坛，后于2013年升格为中阿博览会。从创始之初到蓬勃发展，中阿博览会始终围绕经贸这个核心，服务国家对外开放大局。宁夏回族自治区博览局经济发展处处长赵向阳说，经贸合作没有边界。近年来，中阿合作日益紧密，中阿博览会聚焦对阿、“一带一路”经贸合作，打造面向国内国际的开放平台。

中阿双方经贸互补性强，中国已经成为阿拉伯国家的第一大贸易伙伴，阿拉伯国家是中国最大的海外原油供应地，中国的商品备受阿拉伯国家青睐。2020年，中阿贸易额2398亿美元，中国对阿拉伯国家出口1231亿美元，在疫情影响下仍实现了同比2.2%的增长，由此足以看出中阿经贸合作的巨大潜力。

经过数年发展，中阿博览会经贸合作成果丰硕。三届中阿经贸论坛共有70多个国家和地区的近2.6万名国内外嘉宾、4556家企业参会参展，累计签订各类合作项目478个；前四届中阿博览会共有来自112个国家和地区的4万多名国内外嘉宾、5000多家企业参会参展，累计签订各类合作项目936个。

在中阿博览会的推动下，中国与阿拉伯国家及“一带一路”沿线其他国家的经贸合作更加紧密。宁夏回族自治区博览局副局长张利伟说：“中阿博览会已得到包括阿拉伯国家在内的‘一带一路’沿线国家的广泛认可。在博览会筹备阶段，有39个国家、沙特阿美石油公司等世界500强企业明确表示要来参会参展，并在相关论坛上发表演讲，可见中阿博览会在国外工商界的广泛影响。”

中国面向世界的开放平台

中阿博览会有设立主宾国、主题省的传统，主宾国是与中国经济互补性强，有参加“一带一路”建设强烈愿望的国家和地区，主题省契合博览会的议题设置，面向国内国际寻找合作新机遇。中阿博览会不仅是国内区域合作的重要平台，也是中国各省区市面向阿拉伯国家、面向世界的开放平台。张利伟说，今年，第五届中阿博览会增设了双主宾国和双主题省，以更好地服务国内国际双循环，发挥它们在中阿博览会中的示范引领作用。

中阿博览会还促进了不沿边、不沿海的宁夏开放型经济的发展。在中阿博览会等的推动下，中阿技术转移中心、中阿农业技术转移中心、中阿商事调解中心秘书处等一批中阿多双边合作机构落户宁夏，对提升宁夏对外开放水平产生了积极的成效。赵向阳说，中阿博览会为宁夏打开了面向世界的大门，让宁夏围绕经贸合作“走出去”“引进来”。

同时，在张利伟看来，中阿博览会对宁夏最大的贡献在于带来了开放思维。他说：“能不能引进一个项目或者引进一个企业，只是一城一地的得失，中阿博览会让宁夏普通百姓、企业家和政府工作人员睁开眼睛，放眼世界，积淀发展开放型经济的土壤。”

不断拓展经贸合作新领域

第五届中阿博览会以“深化经贸合作、共建‘一带一路’”为主题，进一步凸显了经贸合作的重要地位。结合当前国际经济发展新形势，中阿博览会聚焦数字经济，新设立大健康产业论坛、水资源论坛，并设置了数字经济、医疗康养、跨境电商等6个主题展区。

今年，中阿博览会首次举办线上博览会，博览会将充分运用数字化手段，通过搭建云展馆、云商城，开展云洽谈、云签约，吸引更多观众云逛展、云采购。目前，来自39个国家和地区的数千家企业报名线上博览会，近百家全球500强企业、中国500强企业和行业头部企业入驻“三维云展馆”，千余家企业签约“二维云商城”，预计将有上万名中外客商“云端”参会参展。

宁夏和大多数阿拉伯国家都面临水资源缺乏的问题，近年来，宁夏“互联网＋城乡供水”示范区建设成效显著，中阿博览会开设水资源论坛符合宁夏所能、国际及中阿所需。宁夏回族自治区水利厅副厅长潘军说：“水资源论坛探索国家之间、地区之间、组织之间、企业之间的合作形式，打造国际交流合作的平台。我们也将以中阿博览会为契机，争取将水资源论坛打造成宁夏面向世界的水利行业品牌，将宁夏经验向全国乃至全世界推广。”

来源新华社