In the Sino-Arab Investment Seminar which held on the 8th in Xiamen, the Chinese Assistant Commerce Minister Wang Chao said that in the first half of this year, Sino-Arab trade volume reached USD60b, and the annual trade volume was expected to exceed USD100b.　　
“In recent years, Sino-Arab investment cooperation has been developed steadily. Up to June of this year, Chinese direct investment in Arab countries accumulatively reached USD2.65b, while the actual investment of Arab countries in China amounted to USD1.5b”, said Wang Chao.
Chinese enterprises invest and participate in the projects of resources development and home appliances in Jordan, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen, which have achieved good results; Sino-Arab Chemical Fertilizers Company Limited (SACF) that involves in Tunisian investment has become the largest fertilizer plant in China, which is known as a model of “South-South cooperation”.
Wang Chao said that the economic development situation of Arab country just went well, and they were constantly developing infrastructure construction, improving investment environment and developing national industry, which showed greater opportunities in Sino-Arab investment cooperation.
“China welcomes more Arab companies to invest in China and also encourages strong Chinese enterprises to invest in Arab countries. Chinese government demands of Chinese enterprises observing discipline, keeping the peace, operating with business integrity, and keeping harmonious relations with the host countries to fulfill their social responsibilities, to achieve mutual benefits and to make the win-win development come true in the foreign investment cooperation.
The trade volume in 2007 between China and Arab countries reached USD86.4b, with Arab countries continued to be China’s eighth largest trading partner.