The minister of economy, Raed Khoury, signed a memorandum of understanding between the governments of China and Lebanon on ‘joint promotion of cooperation in the framework of the Silk Road economic belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative’. The MOU was concluded during an official visit to China to participate in the China-Arab States Expo 2017 held between September 5 and 7 in the city of Yinchuan. The Memorandum provides for cooperation between the two sides in areas of common interest, notably transport, logistics, infrastructure, investment, trade, energy and renewable energy, cultural exchange, health and sports. On the sidelines of the exhibition, Khoury discussed with Chinese officials the possibility of increasing Lebanese exports to China, where in fact a number of commodities, including soap, oil, wine, nuts and others, have been approved for marketing in China. Also, the president of the Special Economic Zone for Tripoli (SEZ), Raya Hassan, who was part of the Lebanese delegation, signed two agreements with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Yinchuan Technological Zone authority. Discussions with Chinese political and economic officials on the possibility of cooperation between SEZ and the Chinese private sector preceded the signing. (L’Orient Le Jour, An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, September 12, 2017)