The country is now the largest trading partner of Arab states that have also collectively become China's largest overseas supplier of crude oil, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

In the first half of this year, bilateral trade between China and Arab countries was worth $144.27 billion, up 26 percent year-on-year, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a recent news conference.

As of July, China has signed cooperation agreements with 19 Arab economies for construction projects under the BRI framework, according to a report released during the expo.

The report said China-Arab cooperation in energy has been deepening. There are an increasing number of cooperation projects in areas of electricity, communication, and industrial parks. Also, cooperation in fields like nuclear energy and satellites has been advancing.

Liu Zhihua contributed to this story.