DUBAI - The three-day China Sourcing Fair kicked off Tuesday in Dubai, where more than 500 Chinese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) exhibit their products, trying to attract business partners and new customers from the Gulf Arab region.

Goods from eight different product families, including textiles, building materials and electronics, are shown and demonstrated by participating firms in seven halls of the Dubai World Trade Center. Many of the exhibitors booked a stand for the first time at the Fair, which runs in its 6th edition this year.

Cindy He, Business Development Manager at Jomoo sanitary producing company from Xiamen of China's Fujian province, said she was satisfied with the response in the first day of the exhibition.

"We are looking for distribution partners in Dubai. We heard that Dubai is a trade hub for the entire Gulf Arab region and even the Middle East, that's why we came here with our stand," she said.

China is already the region's second-largest trading partner, with trade from Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt expected to grow by 14 percent annually over the next five years," said Tommy Wong, President of the fair's organizer, Global Sources Exhibitions.

"In 2011, 10,038 qualified buyers from over 80 countries attended the event," Wong added.

Chinese products became increasingly popular in the Arab world in recent years, because they are cheaper, and producers from the Kingdoms in Middle East are regarded as trustworthy and loyal.

Abdulmajid Al-Shaikh, who runs his own general trading company in Damam of Saudi Arabia came to Dubai only to visit the China Sourcing Fair.

"We have so far been trading telecom goods from Europe and the United States. The increase in trade between the Middle East and China endows us new customers and we can diversify our sources of income," he said. ?

Angela H., Sales Manager at Shenzhen Pengfeida Sanitary Ware which participated in the exhibition for the first time, said while she likes the vibrant atmosphere, she could not hide her disappointment about the size of the fair. "The fair is useful, although we expected it to be a bit bigger. Compared to similar events in mainland China, this exhibition is small." ?

Cheng Liangmei, Manager at Yiwu Xin Ye Electronic Technology from Zhejiang province, on the other side, is happy with the fair as he sells electronic versions of the Holy Quran, the holy book for the Muslims. "We have been here for the third time. Our Arab customer base is growing constantly," he said, without disclosing the exact figures.

"Today almost everybody is equipped with a smart phone. Having the prayer times on the electronic handheld device or the entire Quran is for Muslim believers an immense help to practice their faith," he added." We also sell the Quran with an electronic reader pen for $40 with which Muslims can learn the Quran phrases by marking verses with the pen. YiWu Xin Ye Electronic Technology sells its products to more than 20 countries worldwide.