Ningxia held a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Ningxia International Conference Center, which will become the permanent site of China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum in its capital city Yinchuan on Sept. 19.

Covering an area of 64,000 square meters, the planned building aims to become a large-scale exhibition center that will mix a unique local Hui style with Arabic cultural elements. The center will utilize energy-efficient equipments and smart lighting systems to reduce energy consumption.

The building will feature a 350-seat circular conference hall, a 1,500-seat convention hall, a 600-seat tiered conference hall, and a multi-functional hall with a 3,000-people capacity. The center also contains 28 middle and small meeting rooms, two prayer rooms and two halls for press conferences. It is expected to open by 2014.

Chairman of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Wang Zhengwei, said the center will mark a new milestone in enhancing the cooperation between China, Arab states and other Muslim countries, playing an important role in building an inland economic frontier in Ningxia.