China-Arab states' relations are an important part of the comprehensive diplomatic policies of China.On June 5,2014,Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the Sixth Ministerial Level Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum,during which he proposed that China and Arab countries should deepen all-round cooperation and develop a China-Arab strategic cooperative relationship,taking advantage of new opportunities of co-constructing the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century oceanic Silk Road in the coming decade.All concerned parties would strive to build a community of common interests and a destiny based on the principles of cooperation and sharing. This parallel development in addition to "The Belt and Road Initiative",the China-Arab States Expo("the Expo" hereafter) is facing a significant strategic opportunity.The party committee and government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region are more aware of the strategic positioning of the Expo,which serves as a platform on which high-level dialogue,policy exchanges,trade and economic cooperation as well as humanitarian exchanges are conducted.It also serves as a pivot of the strategic Silk Road Economic Belt.From this perspective,the Expo is expected to play an even bigger role in the all-round exchanges among the countries along the belt. Co-construction of "the Belt and Road" is consistent with the trends of the time and is in the best interests of the people of China and of the Arab states.With the flee flow of economic factors,and efficient allocation of resources,as well as the deep integration of markets,the Arab states will have a bigger chance of gaining diverse,balanced,sustainable,development.China has also proposed the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Development Bank,with an authorized stock capital of $100 billion.In addition,China set up aSilk Road Fund using $40 billion to fund the infrastructure development in Asia and the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese government is encouraging companies and corporations to invest in Arab states' energy,petrochemical,agricultural,manufacturing and service industries to support the employment,industrialization,and economic development of all the countries concerned.In the coming decade,China-Arab region bilateral trade is expected to grow to $600 billion and China's financial investment stock to Arab countries is likely to surpass $60 billion.China and Arab countries are joining hands in constructing the Belt and Road Initiative,and their strategic,cooperative,relations will constantly be elevated to higher levels. In focusing on research of China and Arab region's trade and economic ties,this report systematically analyses the regional situation of the Middle East,dependencies on China-Arab region trade,China-Arab region trade structures,and dependencies on China-Arab region investments.It also discusses critical issues such as the bilateral trade in services,bilateral agricultural and food trade,the development of Islamic finance,and the internationalization of the RMB.It is hoped that the analyses found within this piece will serve as an important reference to our readers. The vision of "the Belt and Road Initiative" is becoming abundantly clear.The people of China and of the Arab states are expected to gain more development opportunities thanks to the implementation of this strategy.As an important cooperative mechanism,the Expo is expected to attract more participants with insights to promote the trade and economic relations of China and Arab states as well as share the benefits of China-Arab region's cooperation.In the meantime,it is sincerely hoped that readers will have informative and productive exchanges that will allow more refinement and,as a finished product,an even better report in the future.
