Chinese company explores Arab market through e-commerce

YINCHUAN -- A Chinese company, based in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, has signed a contract to rent 10,000 square meters of land in Dubai's Jebel Ali free trade zone.

The land will be used to build service centers for exhibition, consultation, after-sales service and promotion of China-produced high-quality products, said Li Zheng, director of Ningxia-based SRP Group.

The group is dedicated to promoting cross-border trade between China and Arab nations.

The service center, part of the company's Silk Road E-Path chain, will showcase China-produced automobiles and textiles.

"By exhibiting quality Chinese products, we want to change Middle Eastern consumers' assumption that made-in-China equals cheap, small commodities," said Li.

The company is also considering building more centers in Jordan and Oman trade areas to facilitate e-commerce between China and Arab countries.

SRP also runs a B2B (business to business) platform to help trade by Chinese companies by assisting them in customs clearance, payment, translation, accreditation, logistics and product exhibition.

Arab countries have become China's biggest supplier of crude oil and its seventh-biggest trading partner. They are the world's largest market for construction contracts and grain imports.

"The potential for Chinese companies to boost exports to Arab nations is huge," said Xie Menglin, director of the Small and Medium Companies Association in Ningxia.

The association is also helping metal, construction material and petro-chemical companies expand their business in Oman.