Egypt's former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf speaks during the opening ceremony of the International Exhibition of China's Reform and Opening Up in 40 Years in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 12, 2019. The exhibition kicked off Tuesday in Cairo. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

CAIRO, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A photography exhibition celebrating the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up was launched on Tuesday in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The event, which was held at the Cairo's Opera House, is organized by the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.

The three-day exhibition features 100 stunning photographs taken over the last 40 years showcasing the great changes in various fields in China since 1978 when China adopted the reform and opening up policy.

"With these precious photographs, we would like to share with all our friends the unforgettable course and brilliant achievements of the past 40 years of reform and opening up of China, and look forward to the bright future of the joint development between China and the rest of the world," Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Song Aiguo said during the inauguration ceremony.

He pointed out that China's reform and opening up has not only changed itself, but also brought benefits to the world.

Over the years, the ambassador said, China has contributed more than 30 percent to world's economic growth and become the main stabilizer and engine for world economy.

"China has become a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order which is widely recognized by the international community," he said.

The ambassador said that the 40 years of China's reform and opening up also created a golden period for the development of China-Egypt relations, and China is willing to share with Egypt its experience of development.

For his part, Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Egypt, said China has made a great success, adding that China's reform and opening up can be a model for the countries that are willing to start reform plans.

The exhibition witnessed a large participation by Egyptian officials and experts as well as ordinary Egyptians and a number of Chinese communities in Egypt.

Ahmed Sallam, former media consultant at the Egyptian embassy in Beijing, said this exhibition shows how China is on the right track to realize and achieve its reform and economic goals.

"Developing countries can follow the footsteps of China's reform and opening up policy if they really want to make a change," he told Xinhua.