News From : DagangHalal.com (09 Oct 2010)
China is counting on its Muslim-majority Ningxia, Gansu and Xinjiang regions and Silk Route roots to expand economic cooperation with the Arab states.
CHINA has something to offer everyone. From its strong manufacturing capability and real estate to green energy development, and now even goods for the Muslim market. You name it.
The recently-concluded China (Ningxia) International Investment and Trade Fair at Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, showed up the Muslim market as another area with huge potential.
More than 900 companies, 254 from overseas, participated in the fair showcasing Muslim food, agricultural and associated products, cashmere textile, handicraft and many others to potential traders and Chinese Muslim consumers.
Malaysia was represented by about 30 companies and government agencies including the Halal Industry Development Corporation and Kelantan State Economic Development Corporation (KEDC).
The exhibitors showcased halal food and handicraft from Malaysia’s cottage industries, cocoa products and halal hub parks in the country.
“We brought in our unique food and handicraft from Kelantan for this fair for the first time,” said KEDC project and property manager Mohd Shah Abd Kadir.
“But, during Ramadan, we also took part in other exhibitions and roadshows in Urumqi and Guangzhou. We have built up a network of customers and traders in China.”
He said the agency wanted to promote the Kelantan-China International Trade Fair (Cheng Ho Expo 2010), to be held from Nov 21-26 in Kota Baru, through participation in fairs in China
Chinese artist Liu Zaitian, a Muslim from Inner Mongolia, put on show some 20 artworks depicting Islamic culture.
“Most of the art pieces portray my pilgrimage to Mecca,” he said.
“Through my artworks, I hope I can play my part in fostering better understanding between China, Arab states and other Muslim countries.
“There are many cultural heritage buildings including mosques in Saudi Arab and China, and we should preserve them through art.”
China is using Ningxia as its window to the Arab world. More than 36% of the population are Hui Chinese (Muslims), the majority ethnic group in the area, which has a long history of trade with the Middle East dating as far back as the Silk Road era.
China has some 20 million Muslims, most of whom live in Ningxia, Gansu and Xinjiang.
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region vice-chairman Li Rui said his government would turn the region into a major hub in western China to link with the Arab states and other Muslim nations.
For that purpose, the Chinese government, in collaboration with Arab nations, held their inaugural China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum in conjunction with the fair.
“Both the forum and fair are to promote the opening up of this part of China to Arab states at large,” Li said.
Ningxia Development and Reform Commission director Yuan Jinlin said the development of western China as the gateway to the Middle East would feature prominently in the 12th Five-Year Plan, China’s next development blueprint.
“If you look at the world map, you will find both Ningxia and the Arab states are located at the centre of energy production. We have a similar culture and habits coming from Islamic civilisation,” he said.
“China is a developing country. To open up to the Middle East is a very important step in our development, and with our regular trade and cultural cooperation having been built from the early days we have a bright future.”
Yuan said, in future, China would explore energy development and carry out more energy-related projects with Arab nations.
Jordan Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Jaafar Hassan said trade between Arab states and China would be diversified to include products other than cotton, food, cement and fertiliser, as well as more investment in high-tech fields.
“In recent years, China has registered remarkable achievements and become a role model for all of us. We believe that China and the Arab states have a strong political will to enhance economic and trade relations and mutual investment,” he said.
“We hope more Chinese companies will invest in high-tech projects apart from providing us the capital and technical assistance to advance the development of infrastructure and energy in the Arab states.”
Trade between China and the Arab states has risen from about US$20bil (RM62bil) many years ago to US$120bil (RM372bil) in 2008, and the portion contributed by Ningxia is about US$60mil (RM186mil).
In the next five years, both sides will work on lifting the trade volume to at least US200bil (RM620bil).
“So far, we have cooperated with the Arab states in terms of trade, project contract and labour service,” Ningxia Commerce Bureau director Ma Fu said.
“In future, we will boost trade, particularly in halal food, appliances and commodities. We will guide more enterprises from Ningxia to invest in Arab states.”
Although Ningxia has no ports and faces logistics barriers, it is determined to transform the region into a trading hub like Yiwu in Zhejiang province, which is China’s most well-known centre of small commodities.
“We will develop trading and commercial centres with Arab states with an investment of two billion yuan, as well as industrial parks for halal food and commodities,” he said.
“Through these efforts, we will ensure Arab businessmen can buy or sell their goods at lower cost to compensate for our lack of competitiveness compared with coastal regions.”
– TheStar.com