The sixth China-Arab States Expo commenced today in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, marking yet another chapter in the ever-expanding economic and trade nexus between China and its Arab counterparts.

Spanning a sprawling 40,000 square meters, the Expo boasts an offline exhibition arena with participation from over 1,000 national and international entities.

A prime highlight of the event is the clean energy section, themed “Deepen Energy Cooperation, Create a Green Future”. It showcases innovations from 18 trailblasing companies across various sectors - from power grids, nuclear and hydrogen energy to energy storage. Among the big players are the likes of State Grid and China General Nuclear Power Group. Not to be overshadowed, the auto industry too has a strong representation with seven NEV auto giants, including Aito, GAC AION, and Hongqi, all of whom are unveiling their latest green and low-carbon advancements.

Prominent displays catching international eyes include the Hualong One nuclear power unit by CGN, SNEGRID Technology's Intelligent photovoltaic cleaning robot, Hendera's energy storage system, and Shouhang High-Tech Energy Co., Ltd.'s solar thermal power generation system.

In an interview with China Economic Net, Huang Wenbo highlighted the Expo's extensive global reach, emphasising the successful market penetration of our air-cooling products across diverse regions from West Africa to Australia. Recognising the abundant solar resources in the Arab region, we are eager to pursue further expansion opportunities here. Additionally, he alluded to ongoing negotiations for overseas solar thermal projects.

In a recent announcement, China’s National Energy Administration set an ambitious target for the "14th Five-Year Plan" (2021-2025) - 3 million kilowatts of new solar thermal power generation. This move is projected to bolster the domestic market value to 54 billion yuan.

Predictions by the International Energy Agency (IEA) further amplify China's growth trajectory, forecasting a whopping 118GW of installed solar thermal power capacity by 2050 – translating into a trillion-level market size.

With the surge in new energy-based power systems, the increasing need for larger-scale energy storage and peak power supply becomes evident. Efficient solar thermal power stations are poised to be the future, catering to the new energy system needs.

"In the global arena, with pressing carbon emission targets, the potential for clean energy collaboration between China, the Arab nations, and Belt and Road countries is not only vast but strategically crucial," concluded Huang Wenbo.