The Second China-Arab States Economic and Trade Forum kicked off Wednesday in Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The five-day event serves as a platform for top governmental officials, business elites and scholars from China, Arab States and other Muslim countries to discuss the issues involving Sino-Arab trade, finance, investment and cultural development. Sponsors include the Ministry of Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Ningxia government.

The forum will be composed of 34 events divided into four sections, including summits, exhibitions, trade fairs and cultural exchanges. This year's focuses for the forum include economic and trade cooperation in agriculture, science and technology, energy, finance, tourism and the publishing sector, organizers said.

More than 7,000 delegates, including 1,200 from 76 other countries and regions, are expected to attend the forum and trade fair this year.

(China.org.cn September 21, 2011)