China: Arab nations should develop deeper co-ops

The cooperations between China and Arab nations should not only focus on the energy sector but extend to more fields such as agriculture, financial investment, educations and tourism, an Arab official said here Sunday. Mohamed bin Youssef, Director General of the Arabic Industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO), said this at the China-Arab States SME Cooperation Forum, which was held in Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. With a lot of similarities on their fast-growing economy, China and Arab nations shared many common interests, said Mohamed bin Youssef. He also praised the BRICS as a great mode for economic cooperation, hoping that China and the Arab nations could also develop deeper and better cooperations. "I hope China and Arab nations could build a big economic entity, which can provide us a lot of fair opportunities of economic development," he suggested. Arab nations' advantages on energy and material sectors can support this cooperation, he noted. "Now, people in Ningxia provide us the opportunity. I would like to encourage more companies in Arab nations to come here for investment and cooperations," he said. He also spoke highly of the forum as a good chance for both China and Arab companies, especially those small and medium-sized, to seek mutual benefit. The event was an important part of the first China-Arab State Expo, which kicked off here on Sunday.