The first Helan Mountain Forum, also named China-Arab Countries Think Tanks Dialogue & International Seminar or Annual Conference of China Academy of the Middle East, was held in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on November 16. Over 150 scholars from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait and China joined the conference, and exchanged ideas on many hot issues.

The three-days conference, co-hosted by Ningxia University and China Academy of the Middle East, organized by School of Arabic Studies, Ningxia University, centered around the following topics: current situations of the Middle East and Arabic countries, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, China-Arabic countries cooperation under the initiative, the role of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and China-Arabic States Expo in the overall cooperation.

Ningxia’s cooperation with Arab States and other Muslim countries is an important part of China inland’s opening up to the outside world, said Jin Nengming, secretary of CPC Ningxia University Committee.

Since the first China-Arab University Presidents Forum was held in 2011, Ningxia University has signed strategic cooperation agreements with 13 universities in 12 Arabic countries. Meanwhile, School of Arabic Studies, Confucius Institute at University of Dubai, Arab Research Center within MOE Project of International Research institutes in China have been established to exchange views on teaching and research.