The China-Arab States Expo, the sixth since 2013, has grown into a significant venue for developing health care and medical service cooperation between China and the Arab world, particularly traditional Chinese medicine cooperation, said officials on Friday.

The event serves as a great opportunity to strengthen high-level exchanges in TCM between China and the Arab world and broaden the scope of cooperation, said Huang Luqi, deputy head of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, at a sideline of the expo.

By establishing agreements of collaboration with Arab nations and continuing to encourage international exchanges and cooperation in TCM, the Chinese government has significantly improved the health and wellbeing of local communities over the years, Huang said.

China now has built 30 high-quality overseas TCM centers in collaboration with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. In addition, 50 TCM bases for international cooperation and several national bases for TCM export have also been established, according to Huang.

Ningxia Hui autonomous region is one of the first national "Internet Plus Healthcare" demonstration zones, which makes it well positioned to contribute to the development of the health industry in countries participating in the BRI, said Yang Peijun, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Ningxia Hui autonomous regional People's Congress.

Going forward, greater efforts will be made to build a sound health cooperation platform between China and Arab nations, to facilitate the transfer of talents and share experience in the prevention and control of infectious illnesses, Yang added.

The four-day biennial expo kicked off Thursday in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia and features not only trade fairs but also forums on health, trade and investment, modern agriculture, cross-border trade, cultural tourism, water resource utilization and meteorological cooperation.