A total of 158 contracts worth about 260 billion yuan (42 billion US dollars) were signed at the first China-Arab States Expo in northwest China\'s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The contracts involve cooperation in energy and chemicals, new materials, equipment manufacturing, halal food, infrastructure, logistics, culture and tourism between China and Arabian countries as well as Muslim regions, said Liu Hui, chairman of the regional government. Fifty-one agreements were signed between China and foreign countries with a total contract volume of 98.1 billion yuan, of which 31 were signed with Arabian countries with a contract volume of 66.5 billion yuan.