Passengers ready to board Hainan Airlines flight HU763 pose for a group photo before the plane leaves Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan Province for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on January 30, 2024. The route is Hainan's first air link with the UAE. Chinese airlines are mapping out more flights to cope with surging outbound travel demand, according to media reports. Photo: cnsphoto
The forum is expected to create new opportunities to deepen economic and trade ties between China and Arab countries. There is great potential in deepening ties in traditional energy, emerging industries, technology and financial cooperation, experts said.
The forum is of great significance in deepening economic and trade ties between China and Arab countries. There is a high degree of economic complementarity, Chen Fengying, an economist and former director of the Institute of World Economic Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The Arab world has a demand for China's technology and market, while China has a demand for the energy resources of Arab countries, Chen said, noting the broad space and bright prospects for cooperation.
Niu Xinchun, executive director of the China-Arab Research Institute of Ningxia University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that cooperation in areas such as energy is expected to be strengthened through the forum.
Saudi energy firm Aramco Downstream President Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani told the Global Times in a note on Tuesday that China holds strategic importance for the growth of Aramco's businesses in Asia.
"In line with Saudi Vision 2030 as well as China's Belt and Road Initiative, we expect additional investments and an enhanced presence to meet the demand for refined products, chemicals and lubricants. This also includes entering into new partnerships in logistics, as well as procurement and supply chains, among other areas of investment," he said.
As the China-Arab relationship gets stronger, many areas of collaboration in emerging fields such as nuclear power, aviation, new energy, artificial intelligence and big data are also thriving. In recent years, we have also seen Arab countries expanding investments in certain emerging industries in China, Niu said.
As of the end of the first quarter, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority held significant positions in 27 A-share companies, with a total market value of 11.29 billion yuan ($1.56 billion), an increase of more than 1 billion yuan from the end of 2023.
The Kuwait Investment Authority appeared in the top 10 list of shareholders in 30 A-share companies, with a total market value of 4.52 billion yuan, according to financial data provider Wind Information.
In the past three years, Arab capital has been mainly flowing into two key sectors in China - downstream industries related to traditional energy and emerging technology industries. These two sectors can be seen as the twin engines driving the economic transformation of Arab countries, Niu said.
Boosted by complementary needs, business cooperation between China and Arab countries is in full swing, with increasing collaboration and investment opportunities in various sectors.
At the 10th Arab-China Business Conference held in Saudi Arabia in June 2023, China and Arab countries signed 30 economic and trade agreements worth more than 70 billion yuan.
At the sixth China-Arab States Expo held in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in September 2023, the two sides reached 403 cooperation deals with a total value of 170.97 billion yuan, covering various fields such as modern agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, the digital economy and tourism cooperation.
Chen said that the two sides will deepen cooperation in developing electric vehicles and photovoltaic (PV) technology in desert areas, particularly in utilizing PV power generation and lithium battery technology as Arab countries seek a diversified energy supply.
Arab countries have capital and demand, while China possesses technology and research capabilities. The two sides can work together to engage in technical cooperation, joint research and development, and personnel exchanges to train professionals, Chen added.
China has become the largest trade partner of Arab countries, with bilateral trade increasing from $36.7 billion in 2004 to $398 billion in 2023. The stock of direct investment between China and Arab countries has exceeded $30 billion, the People's Daily reported.
中国外交部周一表示，巴林、埃及、突尼斯和阿联酋国家元首将于周二至周六对中国进行国事访问，并出席中国-阿拉伯国家合作论坛第十届部长级会议开幕式。本届论坛有望为深化中国与阿拉伯国家经贸关系创造新机遇。专家表示，深化传统能源、新兴产业、科技、金融等领域的联系潜力巨大。 该论坛对深化中国与阿拉伯国家经贸关系具有重要意义。
中国现代国际关系研究院世界经济研究所前所长、经济学家陈凤英周二对《环球时报》表示，两国存在高度的经济互补性。 陈说，阿拉伯世界对中国的技术和市场有需求，而中国对阿拉伯国家的能源资源有需求，并指出合作空间广阔，前景光明。
宁夏大学中阿研究所执行院长牛新春周二对《环球时报》表示，预计通过论坛将加强能源等领域的合作。 沙特能源公司沙特阿美下游总裁穆罕默德·卡塔尼（Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani）周二在一份报告中告诉《环球时报》，中国对沙特阿美在亚洲的业务增长具有战略重要性。 “
根据沙特2030年愿景以及中国的'一带一路'倡议，我们预计会有更多的投资和加强业务，以满足对成品油、化学品和润滑油的需求。这还包括在物流、采购和供应链等投资领域创建新的合作伙伴关系，“他说。 随着中阿关系的加强，核电、航空、新能源、人工智能、大数据等新兴领域的许多领域也在蓬勃发展。牛说，近年来，我们也看到阿拉伯国家扩大了对中国某些新兴产业的投资。 截至第一季度末，阿布扎比投资局持有27家A股公司的重要头寸，总市值为112.9亿元人民币（15.6亿美元），较2023年底增加超过10亿元人民币。
根据金融数据提供商Wind Information的数据，科威特投资局出现在30家A股公司股东榜单前10名，总市值为45.2亿元人民币。 近三年来，阿拉伯资本主要流入中国两大重点行业——传统能源相关下游产业和新兴科技产业。牛说，这两个部门可以被视为推动阿拉伯国家经济转型的双引擎。 在互补需求的推动下，中国与阿拉伯国家的商业合作如火如荼，各领域的合作和投资机会不断增加。 2023年6月在沙特举行的第十届中阿工商大会上，中国与阿拉伯国家签署了30项经贸协定，总金额超过700亿元人民币。
2023年9月，在西北地区宁夏回族自治区首府银川举行的第六届中国—阿拉伯国家博览会上，双方达成403项合作协议，总金额达1709.7亿元人民币，涵盖现代农业、清洁能源、医疗健康、数字经济、旅游合作等多个领域。 陈说，随着阿拉伯国家寻求多样化的能源供应，双方将深化在沙漠地区开发电动汽车和光伏（PV）技术方面的合作，特别是在利用光伏发电和锂电池技术方面。 阿拉伯国家有资本和需求，而中国有技术和研究能力。陈补充说，双方可以共同努力，开展技术合作，联合研发和人员交流，以培养专业人才。
中国已成为阿拉伯国家最大的贸易伙伴，双边贸易额从2004年的367亿美元增加到2023年的3980亿美元。据《人民日报》报道，中国与阿拉伯国家之间的直接投资存量已超过300亿美元。
