Two-way approach sees trade routes flourish

The story of Jordanian merchant Mohanad Ali Moh'd Shalabi was related by President Xi Jinping in a speech about China-Arab cooperation four years ago. The result of that mention has been huge.

Shalabi never expected to be in the spotlight. He said that on June 5, 2014, he was surprised and excited to hear that he had been mentioned by the president.

He immediately shared Xi's remarks on the WeChat messaging app, quickly garnering dozens of likes.