President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for efforts to blaze new channels and explore more potential to enable greater development of the strategic partnership between China and Arab states in a congratulatory letter to the fourth China-Arab States Expo.

The four-day expo, which opened in Yinchuan of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, will offer a beneficial platform for the two sides to deepen pragmatic cooperation and push forward high-quality development of the building of the Belt and Road, Xi said.

Following the trend of the times and respective development needs, China and the Arab states have in recent years made joint efforts in advancing the construction of the Belt and Road and achieved fruitful results, Xi said.

Both sides should use the expo as an opportunity to better benefit people from both sides, he added.

During the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum held in Beijing in July last year, the two sides agreed to establish a future-oriented strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation and common development.