The Fifth China-Arab States Expo, which opened in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Thursday, will further deepen economic and trade cooperation between China and the Arab countries and shift the world's attention to Ningxia which has been continuously opening up its market thanks to the central government's policies.

In his congratulatory letter to the four-day event, President Xi Jinping said the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Arab peoples has deepened, and greater cooperation on common issues, such as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, have set an example for other countries to help each other and overcome difficulties.

"China stands ready to work with the Arab states to promote peace, cooperation and development for mutual benefits and win-win results," Xi said.

Formerly known as China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum, the China-Arab States Expo, first held eight years ago, focused on economic and trade cooperation before gradually expanding the China-Arab economic and trade "circle of friends" to Belt and Road countries.

China is now the largest trading partner of Arab countries, while the Arab states are China's biggest suppliers of crude oil.

Besides, Chinese goods have become increasingly popular among Arab consumers. In 2020, China-Arab trade reached $239.8 billion, with China's exports to Arab countries totaling $123.1 billion, an increase of 2.2 percent year-on-year despite the impact of the pandemic.

The first four expos, which witnessed the signing of 936 cooperation projects, attracted more than 40,000 visitors and 5,000 enterprises from 112 countries and regions.

Thanks to the China-Arab States Expo, China's economic and trade cooperation with the Arab and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative has deepened. The expo has become an open platform for cooperation between China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and the Arab world and beyond.

The China-Arab States Expo has also promoted the development of an open economy in Ningxia, despite the region being thousands of kilometers from the coast.

Necessitated by the expo, a number of multilateral and bilateral China-Arab cooperation organizations, including the China-Arab technology transfer center and the China-Arab agricultural technology transfer center, have been established in Ningxia.

And they are playing a positive role in promoting Ningxia's opening-up.