STORY: Officials, business leaders expect more China-Arab cooperation
DATELINE: June 13, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:41
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the conference
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): AMIN SALAM, Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): BANDAR ALKHORAYEF, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YIN YE, CEO of BGI Genomics Co., Ltd.
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): MESHARI ALDAKHIL, CEO & Co-Founder of GFS Express
6. various of the conference

STORYLINE:

Officials and business leaders have expressed expectations of more trade and cooperation between the Arab countries and China at the 10th Arab-China Business Conference.

Kicked off in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Sunday, the two-day conference brought together more than 3,000 representatives from over 20 countries and regions.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): AMIN SALAM, Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister
"Lebanon has strong relations with China. We believe the relationship between Saudi Arabia, China, and the Arab region is based on trade, investment, and prosperity. The Belt and Road Initiative is an important factor in these relations. Every country, small or large, should join the Belt and Road Initiative because of the opportunities offered by it."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): BANDAR ALKHORAYEF, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources
"Saudi Arabia has a good relationship with China. The Saudi government is serious about creating opportunities for the investment sector in general and for Chinese companies, and the directives are clear to us in the government to facilitate the task of all international investors, especially our Chinese partners."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YIN YE, CEO of BGI Genomics Co., Ltd.
"Saudi Arabia is a thriving country with a very young population and a desire for a variety of new technologies. I think more Chinese enterprises should bring their products with independent intellectual property rights here."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): MESHARI ALDAKHIL, CEO & Co-Founder of GFS Express
"Many Chinese brands have the strength to enter the Saudi and the Arab markets, and Saudi Arabia has giant companies that have the opportunity to be present in the Chinese market. We welcome our Chinese friends to invest in Saudi Arabia, which has a promising market with many opportunities."

China is the largest trading partner of Arab countries, and the volume of trade exchange between the two sides reached 430 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 31-percent increase from 2021.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)