国内英语资讯:China Focus: Garment business dresses up China-Arabian trade_时事

国内英语资讯:China Focus: Garment business dresses up China-Arabian trade

In China's southern trade hub of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, Adel Alhakimi assists his Saudi Arabian client in placing an order of over 6,000 Arabic-style dresses.

Having lived in the city for almost 20 years, the 48-year-old Yemeni manages a China-Arab trade consulting company, which searches for goods and partners for businesses in the Arabian countries.

The number of employees at his company increased from two in 2004 to around a dozen now.

After graduating from university in China in the late 1990s, Alhakimi stayed in the country in hopes of building his career in China-Arabian trade.

Last year, China-Arabian trade totaled around 191.4 billion U.S. dollars, five times the amount in 2004.

Apart from infrastructure construction and energy cooperation, China's opening-up has also benefited other sectors, including the fashion and garment industry.

Alhakimi regularly visits the Guangzhou Liuhua garment wholesale market, which has over 1,000 shops with signs written in multiple languages.

"The products sold here are diverse, cheap and customizable. They attract many Middle East business people, especially during the Canton Fair," he said.

The Liyuan garment shop, one of Alhakimi's favorites, hangs hundreds of Middle East style dresses on the wall.

Xu Peili, the shop owner, says she mainly supplies customers in the Middle East and Africa, and her factory manufactures up to 120,000 items of clothing per month. She is changing the garment material and design to better meet the needs and trends of Arab customers and is trying to add Chinese elements, such as embroidery, to her dresses.