BAGHDAD, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Ibrahim al-Ameri, lecturer of politics at Iraq's Baghdad University, expresses hope that the ongoing fourth China-Arab States Expo is the beginning of a new stage of friendship and cooperation between China and the Arab states.

"I believe that the fourth China-Arab States Expo will bring a new hope. It is a new beginning that promises new achievements. I am convinced that the friendship and cooperation between China and the Arabs will lead us to a bright future," al-Ameri said, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

The four-day event was opened in Yinchuan, capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on Thursday, and will feature trade fairs and forums on infrastructure, Internet plus healthcare, high technology, modern agriculture, logistics, tourism, digital economy and industrial cooperation.

Al-Ameri said the expo is expected to offer a beneficial platform for China and Arab countries to exchange views for cooperation in various fields.

It is also a chance to promote a new mechanism to exploit the two sides' potential in order to enhance their ties, the expert said.

On China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the expert said that the Arabs understand the importance of the initiative, because their countries and the China have complementary advantages and interests.

"I believe that better relations and cooperation between China and the Arab world, within the BRI, will bring peace and stability by forging common destiny among those nations," Al-Ameri said.

Sponsored by China's Ministry of Commerce, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Ningxia regional government, this year's expo attracts around 12,600 participants from 2,900 regional organizations, commerce chambers, associations and enterprises in 89 countries, according to the organizer of the expo.