Ningxia, China
Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, hosted the seventh China-Arab States Expo, a prominent economic and trade event that attracted more than 7,600 participants, including dignitaries, officials, and business representatives from 75 countries and regions around the world. Representatives of more than 2,200 business associations and institutions also participated in the expo, gathering in Yinchuan to strengthen bridges of cooperation, explore new paths for common development, and open up broader horizons for partnership within the spirit of historical friendship and the contemporary epic of the Silk Road.
This year’s expo was held under the theme “Innovation, Green Development, and Prosperity.” The opening ceremony included activities promoting trade and investment under the Belt and Road Initiative, along with events dedicated to the guest country and host province. Six main exhibition areas were dedicated to the initiative, including a pavilion for countries participating in the initiative and another for regional economic cooperation.
In this context, the Arab Federation for Digital Economy participated in the seventh session, hosted by Ningxia Province from August 28 to 31, 2025. This participation comes as part of its efforts to strengthen economic relations and trade exchange in the digital economy, in line with the “Digital Silk Road” vision of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Union was represented at these events by His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al Darmaki, Deputy Secretary-General of the Union, who delivered a keynote speech at the forum. He emphasized that the digital economy is not merely a technology sector, but rather a comprehensive framework for reshaping value chains, creating new job opportunities, improving productivity, and supporting economic and financial inclusion.
Dr. Al Darmaki also emphasized the importance of the partnership between China and the Arab world, emphasizing that it is not merely a commercial deal, but rather a strategic adoption of the “Digital Silk Road” system, which aims to improve trade conditions and create value-added jobs. He added that this system opens new doors for talent and provides better services to citizens.
In his speech, he also addressed the role of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy in formulating the “Arab Vision for the Digital Economy,” adopted by the 2022 Arab Summit, and the need to facilitate Arab companies’ access to cloud services, big data, and artificial intelligence. He called for encouraging regulatory integration between Chinese and Arab frameworks in the areas of e-commerce and consumer protection to reduce costs and save time.
He stated that the partnership between the Arab Federation for Digital Economy and the People’s Republic of China is a strategic axis aimed at transcending the concept of traditional trade to build an integrated system. The Federation emphasizes that this partnership is not merely a matter of individual trade deals, but rather a strategic adoption of the “Digital Silk Road” system. This system aims to improve the terms of trade exchange and create value-added jobs, in addition to opening new doors for Arab talent and providing better services to citizens.
This partnership includes tangible projects that will benefit the region, such as the establishment of data centers and scientific research centers, and specialized programs to build capacity and develop human skills in the fields of the digital economy and advanced technologies.
This partnership is based on the complementarity of the two sides’ competitive advantages: China possesses tremendous technological, industrial, and financial expertise, while the Arab world boasts an educated youth population, promising markets, and a strategic geographic location. The Union seeks to be the link that brings these advantages together through good governance and a shared vision, leading to success stories that transcend economic boundaries and build mutual trust, peace, and prosperity.
In concluding his remarks, Dr. Al Darmaki extended a practical and open invitation to governments, companies, and universities to nominate national points of contact to engage directly with the Union’s office in Hong Kong. He explained that this step aims to expedite procedures, remove obstacles, and initiate knowledge alliances that enhance bilateral cooperation, serving the common interests of both sides. He called on companies to register their interest according to the standard opportunity templates we provide, in preparation for holding bilateral executive sessions within weeks. We also open the door to universities and research centers to engage in knowledge alliances that provide projects with skills, data, and models.
The China-Arab States Expo saw the Arab Federation for Digital Economy sign several strategic agreements and memoranda of understanding with prominent Chinese entities, aiming to enhance bilateral cooperation in the digital economy. Below is a brief overview of each agreement:
Memorandum of Understanding with the Ningxia Council for the Promotion of International Trade: The memorandum aims to establish a strategic partnership to enhance cooperation in the digital economy. A key provision is the organization of the “Ningxia-China-Arab Digital Economy Summit.” The memorandum also stipulates the establishment of a joint platform for trade expansion services to meet the needs of Chinese and Arab companies and promote their two-way development.
Memorandum of Understanding with the Qingdao Commerce Bureau: The memorandum aims to establish a strategic partnership to deepen digital cooperation between the two sides. The agreement will leverage Qingdao’s industrial strengths and geographical location, as well as the Arab Digital Economy Federation’s network spanning 22 Arab countries, to advance cooperation in the digital economy.
Memorandum of Understanding with Shaanxi Chang’an Industrial Innovation Center: This agreement aims to build a comprehensive global business expansion services platform for companies. The partnership will promote the establishment of a China-Arab Digital Research Center, in addition to hosting annual international summits.
During the meeting, Mr. Zhong Tao, Deputy General Manager of Public Affairs at Alibaba Group International Digital Commerce, emphasized the importance of promoting the “Ningxia-China and the Arab Digital Economy” events, emphasizing that these events represent a platform for strengthening practical partnerships between local companies and their counterparts in the Arab region. He also explained that the group looks forward to building bridges of cooperation with the Arab Federation for Digital Economy on a number of future initiatives, most notably the Arab Food Hub project, which is expected to contribute to the development of food supply chains and the expansion of digital trade between the two sides.
The Union’s participation came in response to an official invitation from the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States – Economic and Social Council, based on its role as a strategic partner in supporting Arab-international economic cooperation initiatives and enhancing its presence in international forums related to the digital economy and economic integration, thus contributing to highlighting the Arab role in shaping the new global economic trends.
During the expo, more than 40 economic and trade exchange activities were organized, covering eight major sectors, most notably exchanges between Chinese and Arab business communities, technology transfer, and innovation cooperation. The expo also hosted the China-Arab Cooperation, Innovation, and Development Conference on “E-Commerce along the Silk Road.”
The exhibition aims to consolidate cooperation achievements in traditional fields such as science and technology, water conservation, modern agriculture, and healthcare, while expanding the exploration of new drivers of growth such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and clean energy.
