RIYADH — Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef expressed the hope that Saudi products would be among the most beloved and favorite products of the Chinese people. He said this while addressing a promotional event in Riyadh on Sunday for the 6th China-Arab States Expo. Saudi Arabia will participate as a guest country in the exhibition, which will be held in Yinchuan in the Chinese region of Ningxia, from Sept. 21 to 24, 2023. The expo, with the theme of "New Era, New Opportunities, New Future," will focus on eight major cooperation initiatives between China and the Arab side and the five priority areas where China is ready to work with the Gulf countries in the next three to five years. Alkhorayef stressed that Saudi Arabia views China as an important partner for building industrial and development capabilities. "For this, we benefit from our natural resources and our geographical location so that our supply is within the global supply chains, especially since China is an inspiring country in the field of growth, development of competencies and human resources, transfer and development of technology, in addition to China being an important market for Saudi products, which will be among the beloved and favorite products of the Chinese people," he said. Al-Khorayef pointed out that the exhibition draws China's interest in the Arab countries and creates the appropriate environment for the participating countries to benefit from Chinese technologies and products, in addition to seeing what can be exploited from these technologies, through the presence of Arab countries with their counterparts in China to build long-term partnerships. The minister expressed the will of Saudi Arabia to showcase its products, attractions and strength at the expo while relating its significance to bilateral exchanges. Al-Khorayef emphasized the distinguished relations between Saudi Arabia and China, which qualified it to be a true partner in sustainable development in the Kingdom's renaissance, especially in the industrial and mining sectors. "China is an important partner and an essential supplier for us in the Kingdom, not only for consumer products, but for raw materials and industry inputs, especially since the Kingdom, with its ambition and targets in the industrial and mining sectors, opens up great opportunities for a partnership based on mutual respect at the political level and partnership based on mutual respect for common interests in the economic aspect and the long view towards global supply," he said while stressing that China is the largest country with which Saudi Arabia has commercial dealings. "We are keen to develop trade exchange in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and deepen its use as products and services of high value to the two countries and help make the Kingdom and China an important player in the world," he added. It is noteworthy that the China-Arab States Expo has become an important platform for China-Arab exchanges. At a promotional event, the speakers noted that the expo has played an active role in promoting not only economic and trade ties, but also cultural communication between China and the Arab world. It was pointed out that the expo is a major measure to implement the achievements of the three Summits of China-Arabia, China-GCC and China-Saudi Arabia held late last year.
