On August 5, the online expo of the 5th China-Arab States Expo kicked off in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

It is the first online expo held for the upcoming 5th China-Arab States Expo, and focuses on sharing new opportunities for development strategy, sharing new achievements of their digital economies, enjoying the new future of the Silk Road on the cloud, and realizing digital empowerment and online and offline integration.

The online expo adheres to new development concepts, and focuses on Ningxia's nine key industries to create "cloud" conferences, such as the business summit, the “Belt and Road” Investment Promotion Assembly, and the Online Silk Road Conference, as well as "cloud" exhibitions like the Clean Energy & New Materials Exhibition, the Green Food Exhibition and the Healthcare and Wellness Exhibition.

Long Yongtu, co-chairman of the Global CEO Conference, Zhang Weiwei, professor at Fudan University, Ma Bin, vice-president of Tencent, Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, vice-president of Saudi Aramco, and other dignitaries, experts, scholars and businessmen from China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative will also be invited to conduct "cloud dialogues".

Relying on new-generation information technology, such as 5G, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing, the expo guides domestic and foreign enterprises to participate in the exhibition online through the building of cloud exhibition halls and shopping malls.

Guided by the online platform, Ningxia will promote digital industrialization and industrial digitalization, as well as promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy. It also seeks to help enterprises explore diversified markets, develop new business models, such as cross-border e-commerce, service trade and service outsourcing, and promote high-quality economic development.

To date, thousands of enterprises from 31 countries and regions as well as 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China have registered through the cloud platform. Nearly 100 companies, including Fortune 500 enterprises, top 500 Chinese enterprises, and leading enterprises have settled in the 3D Cloud Exhibition Hall, with more than 1,000 enterprises having signed up for the 2D Cloud Mall.

It is expected that hundreds of thousands of merchants will gather for the online expo, which will help to create a batch of trade and cooperation achievements among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The 5th China-Arab States Expo, focusing on pragmatic economic and trade cooperation and the "1+9+6" activities (namely one "Belt and Road" Investment Promotion Assembly, nine conferences and forums and six themed exhibitions), is scheduled to be held from August 19 to 22.

Zhang Liwei, deputy director of Ningxia Expo Bureau (CCPIT Ningxia Sub-Council), addresses the opening ceremony of the online expo of the 5th China-Arab States Expo, on Aug 5, 2021. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Chang Jinhong, director of Ningxia Expo Bureau, addresses the opening ceremony of the online expo of the 5th China-Arab States Expo, on Aug 5, 2021. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Opening ceremony of the online expo of the 5th China-Arab States Expo opens in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Aug 5, 2021. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]