This picture taken on December 6th, 2022 shows the city's views of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Final preparations are in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for what is anticipated to be the largest Arab-Chinese business event to date, as the Saudi capital gears up for a record number of delegates to the 10th Arab-China Business Conference.
Saudi Ministry of Investment expects that about 3,000 delegates, including decision-makers, government officials, investors, business owners and experts from 23 countries, will attend the event, which will take place at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center from 11 to 12 June.
China will be a big contributor to China's growth in Asia-Arab relations following the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in December.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's patronage of the event reflects the commitment of the Saudi leadership to foster strategic partnerships with global economic powers, the Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih said.
The Expo offers a platform for cooperation between China and Arab nations.
The summit will be the first high-level meeting of such significance following the success of the 32nd Arab League summit in Jeddah in May, which for the first time since 2011 saw the participation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after the 22-member Arab League lifted a more than decade-long suspension, which had been put in place over Assad's handling of demonstrations, which escalated into a full civil war within his nation.
The meeting also assumes added significance as it comes after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed in March to give their relations a fresh start following talks largely credited to China's diplomatic involvement.
The Arab-China Business Conference website of the Saudi Ministry of Investment, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the Arab League are jointly organizing the two-day conference, which aims to support and promote cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, and investment to achieve solutions of common interest for Arab nations and China through strategic collaboration, according to the Arab-China Business Conference website.
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan will grace the opening of the conference on June 11, media sources have said.
More than 20 panel discussions and workshops have been held throughout the calendar, including investments in China's Belt and Road Initiative, renewables, the oil and gas supply chain, gaming and e-sports, tourism and entertainment diversification, as well as agriculture and technology, and the signing of memorandums of understanding.
In China-Arab collaborations, the city has a big role to play.
China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Wang Wenbin said the business symposium is an important institutional event under the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and that nine business conferences and seven investment symposiums have been held to date since 2005.
The success of the first China-Arab States summit at the end of last year has injected fresh impetus into the development of China-Arab relations and practical cooperation across the board, he said.
We hope that the Business Conference and Investment Symposium will be a great opportunity for the Chinese and Arab business communities to have in-depth exchange, foster friendship and discuss cooperation, he said.