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week
Western media reports on the Middle East mainly focus on negative news such as conflicts, wars, kidnappings and terrorist attacks. Is that really the case? Recently, I visited six Gulf countries with the China people's friendly delegation, but my personal impression is that these countries are rich, beautiful and politically stable, and their people are kind, friendly and happy.
Our visit coincided with local holidays, but the receptionist attached great importance to it and carefully arranged our visit schedule. Major local media reported the activities of the delegation, and photos of some members of the delegation were also published in Arabic and English newspapers.
These countries generally hope to expand economic and trade cooperation with China. The chairman of the Kuwaiti Chamber of Commerce said that they have established Sino-Kuwaiti Joint Investment Company, which will invest 50 billion dinars (about 654.38+07 billion US dollars) to build ports, power stations, petroleum and fine chemicals, urban construction, etc. It is hoped that China enterprises will participate in large-scale project cooperation. The President of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed the hope that China would invest in Oman, and the textiles processed in Oman could be sold to European and American countries without quota. Bahrain's leaders hope to hold a special China-China trade and investment fair and invite Pakistani enterprises to participate in regular Bahrain entrepreneurs' forums. Saudi leaders proposed that they hope to set up a Sino-Saudi joint investment company or a joint investment fund or bank to build China Commodity City in the capital Riyadh.
We were deeply impressed by the developed infrastructure and rich national life in the Gulf countries. Among the Gulf countries, Bahrain has the lowest per capita GDP of $65,438+03,590, while Qatar, which is relatively rich, has a high GDP of $365,438+0,700.
However, the history of rapid development in these countries is not long. Before 1946 produced the first barrel of oil, the Gulf countries still lived a life of "eating by the sea", and everything was hard and simple.
In the past 60 years, these countries started with oil, and they just built oases in the vast desert. The average annual precipitation in Qatar 125mm, Bahrain's 77mm and UAE 100mm are all seriously insufficient. So all the plants here are planted by drip irrigation through pipes. Because of heat, drought and water shortage, precious fresh water must be recycled.
The landmark of Kuwait City is a water tower. The locals joked that Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower was built after their water tower. This water tower was built in 1979, which is extremely difficult to build. There is no pedestal support, just three columns. One column and one ball, 140m high, can store 660,000 gallons of fresh water; The other column has two balls, the big ball stores 6.5438+0.33 million gallons of fresh water, and the small ball is a revolving restaurant that can accommodate 100 people.
In Saudi Arabia, you can see a circular plantation with a diameter of 30 to 50 meters, planted with lobular plants and grass. Locals use cable-stayed bridge-type suspenders to pull a water pipe with dozens of meters in diameter and full of small holes, and rotate along the center of the circle to water plants.
The economy of Gulf countries is dominated by petrochemical industry, as well as natural gas, steelmaking and aluminum smelting. Most of the world's oil and gas production and reserves are concentrated here. It can be said that the production and life here are all around oil and gas.
On the basis of the developed petrochemical industry, these countries also pay attention to attracting foreign technology and encouraging the development of agriculture. Qatar provides farmers with seeds, fertilizers and agricultural machinery free of charge, and calls for afforestation to expand cultivated land; In addition to the above-mentioned free, the UAE also underwrites all agricultural products and provides interest-free loans to farmers.
During our visit of more than two weeks, we contacted Arabs every day, and they showed friendly feelings for China people everywhere. We visited three old palaces with thousands of years' history, and now there are only ruins left, but they still ask people to protect and manage them. China CCTV 4 and 9 can be watched locally. When the host enthusiastically introduced the Forbidden City and national history, he praised the Forbidden City and the Great Wall in China for their good protection.
We visited the 302-meter-high Kingdom Center in Riyadh, and it happened that some members of the royal family had to take the elevator. Knowing that this was a delegation from China, an elderly member of the royal family immediately invited us to take the elevator together. They said, "China people are really amazing!" We said, "China and Arabs are friends." But they said, "No! Not just friends! It is a brother! "
One evening, we were walking in Kuwait Bay, and many people were fishing. Knowing that we were from China, the angler gave a thumbs-up and said "China is great". An elder also said to the head of the team, Chen, I want to send the fish caught today to your home in Beijing. Everyone laughed and applauded.
In Doha, we visited the Hilton Hotel, where China signed the contract when she joined the WTO. Walking in Doha Bay Plaza, we saw the mascot of the 2006 Asian Games standing by the sea. When the local people knew that we were from China, they immediately said, "China, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games!" Many people gathered around to tell us that they had been to Beijing and Shanghai.
We have a few hours before leaving Qatar, and we hope to visit Al Jazeera for the time being. When we arrived at the TV station, a vice-chairman personally welcomed us and invited us to visit any place, such as studio, studio, editing room and hangar room.
The staff of the TV station are very friendly and take the initiative to introduce us in English. A staff member in charge of East Asia coverage can speak a little Chinese, especially telling us that his mobile phone uses the service of China Mobile.
Al Jazeera's building is actually very ordinary, but it is a three-story podium, with earthy gray and some gold and sea blue exterior walls. As soon as I entered the door, I saw a huge Al Jazeera logo, like a burning flame. There is a small clearing in the center of the main hall, and the walls around it are covered with videos, photos and pictures. The inner circle of the hall is divided into office grids, one for each person, and the layout of each grid is very individual. The walkway in the building is very small, only two people can walk in parallel, and the stairs are very narrow.
The equipment they use is not better than that of major TV stations in China. The lights in the recording studio are very dim. The host said that their work is very tense, and their information sources and news broadcasts are timely, which are often broadcast by other TV stations. They extend their information tentacles to all parts of the world and always want to get first-hand real news. Their professionalism is touching.
Riyadh means "garden with lush flowers and plants" in Arabic. There are many high-rise buildings, modern expressways and overpasses in urban areas. 1999 To celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government established the King's Historical Center around the Abdul Aziz Palace in Riyadh, covering an area of 300,000 square meters. It consists of six parts: National Museum, King's History Research Center, Sifang Palace, Mosque, King's Private Library and Public Leisure Square.
The National Museum has 10 galleries and 8 exhibition halls, showing pictures of people and the universe, Islam and Arabia, and two mosques. Sifang Palace is the place where the king works, lives and receives foreign guests. Masmeck Palace was built in 1865. It is a square castle, and now it is the national exhibition hall. The city of Deir Yeh, commonly known as the old palace, was named after the ancestors of the Saudi family came here in 1446. It was the capital of the kingdom and the center of religion and culture at that time. Now, only ruins are left.
Kuwait Science and Technology Center, built in 2000, has a special appearance. The entrance and roof are all white sails, and there is an aquarium, an exploration hall, a dome cinema and a restaurant. There are open spaces, date palms and grasslands on both sides of the center. The National Museum was built in 1957 and consists of four buildings and a planetarium. Among many exhibition halls, folk museum should be the epitome of ancient Kuwait, reflecting their history, society, economy and religion. Ragib Museum is a private museum with a large number of handicrafts, gold, silver, diamonds, precious stones, calligraphy and painting, embroidery, porcelain, musical instruments and coins with strong Arabic and Islamic styles. Many exhibits are priceless.
Manama is the capital of Bahrain, which means "Temple of Accommodation" in Arabic. The northern part of the city is home to government agencies, enterprises and hundreds of domestic and foreign banks and financial institutions, and is the financial service center in the Middle East. The total assets of Bahrain Bank exceed $80 billion. There are "Xifu Shopping Mall", "Bahrain Shopping Mall" and "Nana Shopping Mall" in the western district, such as Wangfujing in Beijing and Nanjing West Road Commercial Street in Shanghai. Urban office buildings, high-grade office buildings and high-grade villas are patchwork, with different architectural styles, and the greening along the street is successful, which has the characteristics of a modern metropolis, but there is no hustle and bustle of the metropolis. The landmark of this city is the Pearl Tower, which is located at the south corner of King Faisal Avenue. There is a sphere with a diameter of 3 meters at the top, representing a big pearl, and the bottom is supported by six curved pillars, representing the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Every time we go to a country, we are invited to visit a mosque. The Sultan Qaboos Mosque is very spectacular, with a total area of over 930,000 square meters and a central hall of 40,000 square meters.
Arabs believe in Islam. Because of the influence of religion, the self-discipline of Arabs has been amazing for thousands of years. There is no pornography, gambling and drugs in the Gulf, and there will be no unsightly pictures on TV, movies, books, newspapers and magazines. Most ordinary Arabs advocate being kind to others and harmonious coexistence between countries.
We should not be influenced by western media, but should increase positive reports on Arab countries, so that more China people can know their real situation and cooperate more effectively.