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by Xinhua Writer Liu Chang
CAIRO, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Arab world has long been remembered as one of mankind's great ancient civilizations, yet for various reasons, wars and strife that are engulfing the Middle East seem to have submerged its old glory.
Many Arab countries are now trying hard to restore peace and spur development, and by working closer with China, they may have a better chance to find an answer to the problems that have troubled them for decades.
The second China-Arab States Expo is under way in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, one of the many platforms to promote ties between China and Middle East countries.
China and the Arab world began their interactions as early as 2,000 years ago. Back then, traveling along the ancient business route known as the Silk Road, Mideast merchants, riding on the back of camels, carried with them jewelries and spices for sale to China, and brought back Chinese tea, porcelain and silk.
In modern days, the two sides have carried on their traditional friendship, and supported each other in pursuing independence while promoting a more just international political and economic order, and global governance in this age of globalization.
Their cooperation has enjoyed a big leapfrog in various fields, particularly in economy and trade, with bilateral trade jumping to 238.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2013 from 25.5 billion dollars in 2004.
China is now the Arab world's second largest trading partner, and the largest trading partner for nine Arab countries. Within 10 years, their two-way trade is expected to reach 600 billion dollars.
Unfortunately, the Middle East has long been plagued by bloody conflicts and social upheaval because of religious disputes and Western intervention, with millions of people fleeing their homeland.
As a matter of fact, one other key factor that made the region as what it is today is that it has not found for itself a suitable path of development. Many countries there have suffered decades of stalled economic growth and social advancement, featuring a high jobless rate, especially among the youth. That has developed as the breeding bed for terrorism scourging the Middle East.
Therefore, China's initiatives on the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (popularly known as the "Belt and Road" initiatives), which focuses on building up its industrial capacity cooperation with willing-partners on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, has been actively embraced by many Arab countries along the ancient merchant road.
The Arab world, which is still having a fast birth rate, has had much of its infrastructure such as railroads, highways and bridges falling apart, and needs to be either upgraded or replaced with new installments. Otherwise, its long-anticipated economic comeback would be very much in doubt.
China, over the past more than three decades, has accumulated very competitive know-how in infrastructure and manufacture, and is in an advantageous position to meet the needs of the Mideast countries in terms of capital, technologies, resources, and market access. By working together under the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiatives, the economic engines of the Arab world can be reignited.
Many Arab countries have also recently chosen to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a China-proposed multilateral financial institution. The decision means that they are confident that the newly-established institution will surely sustain their efforts to return to the right track bound for to peace, stability and prosperity.
Moreover, China and the Arab countries can also work together in new energy, finance and service sectors.
In June last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in addressing the sixth ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, said China and the Arab world, which has been linked together by the old Silk Road since very old days, are good friends, brothers and partners that respect and trust each other.
Indeed, as long as the two sides stay hand in hand, and deepen their cooperation, the two peoples will be the true beneficiaries therefrom.
