China News Agency, Jinan, March 22 (Reporter Zhao Xiao) The opening ceremony of the Shandong Activity Week of the China Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai World Expo and the Economic and Trade Cooperation Fair were held simultaneously in Dubai, UAE and Shandong, China on the 22nd. way to develop.
Expo 2020 Dubai was originally scheduled to be held in Dubai, UAE from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021. Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, it has been postponed to October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.
As the "finishing work" of the series of activities in the provinces, regions and cities of the China Pavilion of the World Expo, Shandong Activity Week will hold relevant activities with the theme of "Starting Point of the Silk Road, Home of Innovation", focusing on industrial cooperation and cultural exchanges.
Ali al-Zahiri, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to China, said in a video speech that Shandong is a major economic province in China, and the UAE and Shandong have established extensive and profound cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, tourism, food and energy.
"During Expo 2020 Dubai, friends from Shandong and other parts of China are welcome to take this opportunity to visit the UAE and the 'city of the future' Dubai. Emiratis are also recommended to visit Shandong to experience and appreciate China's rich cultural heritage."
Ni Jian, Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, said at the opening ceremony that in recent years, China-UAE relations have maintained a high level of operation, political mutual trust has been continuously deepened, and economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people and cultural exchanges have steadily advanced.
The cooperation between Shandong and the UAE is an important part of China-UAE cooperation.
In 2021, the trade volume between the two sides will reach nearly 8.3 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 71.5%. Well-known enterprises such as Shandong Port, Hisense, and Weichai Power have invested in the UAE.
The Chinese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates will continue to support Shandong and the United Arab Emirates to strengthen the docking of development strategies, adding new momentum to the building of China-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
Ji Binchang, Deputy Governor of Shandong Provincial People's Government, said that in the face of a century of changes and the new crown epidemic, the holding of the Dubai World Expo is conducive to promoting people from all over the world to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology.
It is hoped that this event will be used as an opportunity to strengthen the pragmatic cooperation between Shandong and Dubai in the fields of technological innovation, investment and trade, financial services, culture and art, and epidemic prevention and control.
At the economic and trade cooperation fair held on the same day, the Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology signed a cooperation agreement with the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Economy, and online signing ceremonies for the East African Commerce and Logistics Center Project and the Ghana Petroleum Refining and Chemical EPC Project were held.
(over)