Chinese, Arab libraries forge closer links

The second meeting for Chinese and Arab countries' library and information field experts was held at the National Library of China in Beijing on Wednesday.

The meeting gathered delegates from China as well as library administrators from 14 Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq. It aimed to promote cooperation in library construction, technology and academic communication from both sides.

A cooperative digital library was also announced, with 300 kinds of Chinese files from National Library of China became the first entries into the database.

Echoing China's Belt and Road Initiative, libraries from China and Arab countries began to seek closer ties in recent years. The first such meeting was held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2015.

According to Han Yongjin, curator of National Library of China, a Silk Road international library alliance spanning to countries relevant to Belt and Road Initiative will also be launched.