On April 24, the 7th China-Arab States Expo Promotion Conference (Yiwu) and Entrepreneurs Symposium, organized by the Secretariat of China-Arab States Expo (Department of Commerce of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region), was held in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province. Over 200 participants, including representatives from 15 chambers of commerce such as the Yiwu Ningxia Chamber of Commerce and Yiwu Arab Chamber of Commerce, as well as 180 enterprises, took part in the event. Leveraging Yiwu's role as a global hub for small commodities distribution and its resource advantages as a gathering place for Arab merchants, the event aimed to promote the 7th Expo and highlight Ningxia's distinctive industries and key projects, while conducting targeted guest invitations and investment promotion efforts.

Since 2013, the Expo has been successfully held for six consecutive sessions in Yinchuan, Ningxia, and has become a key platform for China and Arab States to jointly advance the "Belt and Road" initiative. Reportedly, the 7th Expo will be held in Yinchuan, Ningxia from August 28 to 31, 2025, under the theme of "Tech Innovation, Green Development, Shared Prosperity". The Expo will feature exhibitions and displays focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), gaming industry, green and low-carbon technologies, smart meteorology, and cross-border e-commerce, aligned with broader topics such as Belt and Road cooperation, regional economic collaboration, and the digital economy. 

Focusing on deepening cooperation in economy and trade, energy, science and technology, agriculture and other traditional areas of cooperation, the Expo will carry out the following activities:

-- economic and trade docking and exchanges between the business community of China and Arab States,

 --technology transfer and innovation cooperation,

 --modern agriculture, water resources, health and wellness, travel trade matchmaking, and

 --high-quality meteorological development, standardization and intellectual property rights negotiations.

Over 200 participants from 15 chambers of commerce and 180 enterprises took part in the event.

At the event, Ningxia highlighted its distinctive competitive industries and business environment, and presented investment projects in sectors such as new materials, clean energy, and wine production. Furthermore, multiple cooperation agreements were reached with Arab business representatives on professional audience engagement and the establishment of supply-demand matching mechanisms.

"The Expo has opened the door to the Chinese market for Arab enterprises, and we are delighted to observe that the guiding principles of the 7th Expo- along with Ningxia's outstanding advantages in the fields of modern chemical industry, clean energy, and specialty agriculture-perfectly complement Yiwu's market and distribution advantages," said Jamie Saif, representative of Arab procurement enterprises and president of Yiwu Arab Chamber of Commerce. He noted that he would leverage this platform to further strengthen collaboration; build a "Yiwu-Ningxia-Middle East" cross-border e-commerce platform by utilizing Ningxia's computing hub advantage; facilitate partnerships between Yiwu-based Arab enterprises and Ningxia's new materials and new energy projects, and promote the establishment of the sales channels for Ningxia's special agricultural and animal husbandry products such as Chinese wolfberries and cold-climate vegetables in the Arab markets.

This event adopts a "presentation + dialogue session" hybrid format to precisely align with the economic and trade needs between China and Arab States, as well as Zhejiang and Ningxia.

Li Weiren, president of Yiwu Ningxia Chamber of Commerce, shared the successful experience of expanding into the Middle East market with the help of the Expo, and stated that the Chamber will commit to "facing the world, serving Ningxia and Yiwu, empowering enterprises." He pledged to fully cooperate with the mobilization of Yiwu stakeholders to participate in the promotion of the 7th Expo, integrate the resources of the business community of Yiwu and make positive contributions to investment promotion, industrial collaboration and trade facilitation.

At the event, Feng Xiaohua, Deputy Secretary of the China-Arab States Research Institute at Ningxia University, unveiled the Development Process of China-Arab States Economic and Trade Relations Annual Report 2023 ("the Annual Report"). As a key theoretical research output of the Expo and a critical reference document for China-Arab States economic and trade cooperation, the Annual Report provides comprehensive data analysis and intellectual support for bilateral business trade and investments, and government-to-government interaction and cooperation.