This photo shows an exterior view of the venue for the sixth China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By Staff Reporters

The China-Arab States Technology Transfer and Innovation Cooperation Conference, a concurrent activity of the sixth China-Arab States Expo, was held on September 21 in Yinchuan, the capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Eight key cooperative projects were signed at the conference, along with the display of a range of advanced technologies.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the government of Ningxia jointly support the construction of the China-Arab States Technology Transfer Center (CASTTC), which has established a coordinated network for technology transfer connecting thousands of members, thus promoting cooperation in innovation, technology transfers and start-ups between China and Arab states, said Chen Jiachang, vice minister of science and technology, in his video speech to the conference.

Eight bilateral technology transfer centers have been established between Ningxia and some Arab states, with a batch of technology transfer projects achieving notable results. Since 2015, Ningxia University has signed a key biennial sci-tech cooperative project with Arab states. There are now seven demonstration bases established, and training for technicians from 23 countries has been extensively conducted.

Guided by MOST, the displayed Chinese technologies were first collected by the Administration Center for China’s Agenda 21 and CASTTC, and then selected by domestic and international experts.

Chen Fang, deputy director general of the Department of Science and Technology of Ningxia, said these technologies are fit for commercialized demonstration and promotion, and match the demand and concern for Arab states’ sustainable development.

For example, South China University of Technology has developed a technology that can create high water retention soil to solve the problems of soil compaction and low water retention of sandy soil, which is a good fit for desert arid regions.

Professor Ismail Abdel Ghafar Ismail Farag, president of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), said that AASTMT has attached great importance to the conference of this sort as they believe that it could provide pragmatic and reliable opportunities to strengthen deep and broad cooperation between China and Arab states.