Inspired by China's "One Belt, One Road" Initiative, Ningxia Launches International Cooperation in Halal Food Industry

YINCHUAN, China, July 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sino-Malaysian Halal Food and Muslim Supplies Certification and Industry Cooperation Seminar, an event organized by the Expo Bureau of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and several governmental agencies and taking place under the aegis of the One Belt, One Road China-Malaysia Business Dialogue, kicked off in Beijing on July 15. President of the Malaysian Chinese Association and Malaysia's Transport Minister Liao Zhonglai and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Vice-Chairman Wang Heshan attended the meeting. Both sides agreed to reinforce cooperation in:

• producing and processing halal beef and mutton;
• building halal food brands;
• mutually recognizing each other's certifications;
• constructing halal industrial parks;
• developing halal industrial resources.

As part of China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, Ningxia has made the most of being the only Hui autonomous region at the provincial level in China, enhancing ties with Arab countries as well as with Muslim countries and regions around the world. Ningxia believes helping its halal industry grow is important to its plans to develop trade with Western countries and being a worthwhile stop for business travelers along the new Silk Road. The government is sparing no efforts, constructing halal food and Muslim supplies manufacturing zones that meet national standards, with the Wu Zhong Halal Industrial Park as the hub. With 218 companies in the park, the gross value of the park's industrial output has reached RMB15 billion and is expected to reach RMB60 billion in 2020.

The Ningxia government has also emphasized halal food certification. In as early as 2008 Ningxia established a provincial-level halal food certification center. In Sept. 2014, the center was approved by China's Certification and Accreditation Administration as a halal food certification authority, the first of its kind in China. This milestone signified the official establishment of a Chinese halal food certification system. The Center currently has mutual certification recognition agreements with 15 agencies in 12 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar, and has signed a cooperation memorandum of mutual recognition of certifications with other agencies in Russia, Singapore and others.

Compared with the rest of China, Ningxia is uniquely positioned to develop a halal industry. Wang Heshan says the China-Arab States Expo 2015 will be held on Sept. 10 in Ningxia, and Ningxia expects companies from Arab countries and other Muslim regions to actively participate.