EXPO a window to expand trade with arab world

Night view of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, the permanent host city of the China-Arab States Expo. This year's expo will kick off on Thursday. Photos provided to China Daily

Cultural, religious links give region advantages in promoting exchanges

Ma Youming, the production manager of Ningxia Yijia National Costumes, a manufacturer of Muslim clothing and textiles in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, sees the upcoming China-Arab States Expo as a major platform to boost his company's sales.

While it is unlikely to help alleviate pressing issues the company is facing, such as rising labor costs and difficulty attracting investments, Ma said he hopes the expo will bring him closer to potential clients for marketing purposes and drive up the company's exports to the Arab markets.

One major product of the company is the taqiyah, a short, rounded skullcap worn by many Muslim men, Ma said.

"With the help of the expo, we aim to achieve total production of 50 million Muslim caps this year and boost sales to about 200 million yuan ($32 million)," he said, noting that his company supplies more than 50 percent of taqiyahs in the world and Saudi Arabia is its top export destination.

Ma's company is among many from China and Arab countries that are looking for business opportunities from the four-day expo, which will open on Thursday in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia.

More than 100 business and investment deals are expected to be signed during the expo, according to the official press release.

Jointly held by the Ministry of Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Ningxia regional government, the biennial event will serve as a high-end trade and investment platform for Chinese businesspeople and their counterparts from Arab countries in fields including agriculture, energy, tourism, healthcare, finance, e-commerce and new technology.

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