Expo on Saudi-Chinese economic progress opens

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JEDDAH - A 10-day joint Saudi-Chinese exhibition, opened here Sunday night, displaying photographs illustrating economic developments in both countries during the past two decades.

Mohammad Al-Tayeb, General Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah Province, and Wang Yong, Chinese Consul General in Jeddah, inaugurated the exhibition at Bait Naseef in the Historical Area of the city.

"We hope that the exhibition will enrich the cultural relations between the two countries and give visitors a chance to have a closer look at the development in China," said Al-Tayeb.

He also said that the exhibition aims to highlight the excellent political relations between the two countries during the last two decades.

Consul General Wang said that the exhibition reflects the reforms in the technological, industrial, educational and agricultural sectors of China.

Exchange programs for studies between the two countries are working fine, Wang said. More than 400 Saudi students are studying in Chinese universities and 200 Chinese students are studying in Saudi universities, such as Umm Al-Qura and King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, he said.

The exhibition, which will run till Aug. 4, displays 62 photographs of Chinese social life and the developmental changes in China over the past 20 years," Sami Nawwar, Director of the Tourism and Antiquities Department in the Jeddah Mayoralty, said.

The Saudi-Chinese exhibition is part of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 where Saudi Arabian Cultural Days concluded earlier this week.

He Zhao Zhao, a Chinese nurse who has been working in King Fahd Public Hospital for the past two years, was delighted to visit the exhibition where she found "useful information about Saudi Arabia, its people and its culture."

"The Saudi people are friendly and willing to share ideas with other nationalities," she said. "It is a good chance for me to discover Saudi traditions in this exhibition," she added.

Another visitor found the exhibition well-organized and reflecting the traditions and the developments of both countries.

"It is good to see Saudis preserving their heritage and sharing it with others in such exhibitions," said Amanda Hicks, Information Officer at the US Consulate here.

By Naif Masrahi

© The Saudi Gazette 2010