Qatar eyes closer business ties with China

Senior business officials from Qatar said the 2022 FIFA World Cup, diversified commercial ties with Chinese companies and new visa policies for Chinese nationals will facilitate the Arab country to become a trade center and gateway for the development of the Belt and Road Initiative in the coming years.

The upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup will be a growth driver in the region, and it will be supported by the development of world-class infrastructure including a modern metro system as well as a new port, said Abdulla AlMisnad, deputy CEO of Qatar Free Zones Authority, or QFZA.

"The World Cup can be a good opportunity to see the internationalization of technologies like smart translation and mobile payments, where China has advantages and they are not applied to the same level elsewhere in the world," said AlMisnad.