eCommerce is the route to accelerate trade between China and Middle East, Tejari CEO tells China Internet Conference

Hijazi presented a keynote speech on the theme of "eCommerce: The economic gateway to the Middle East," at the event which attracted more than 1,500 companies from China and the international business community, organized by the Internet Society of China (ISC).

Hijazi outlined how Tejari, as the Middle East's leading online exchange in the Middle East for more than six years, is ideally positioned to deliver best practices in online procurement to the Chinese market. To demonstrate the potential for online trade to attendees, Hijazi revealed that for the first half of 2006 compared to the previous year, Tejari's membership, activity and revenues have grown by a third, with profits nearly doubling and total trading volume on the marketplace topping $3 billion.

"One thing that China and Dubai have in common is a passion for the Internet and the promise of technology. The Internet has become a powerful conduit to new markets, and this is why we are reaching out to China, to encourage businesses and governments there to see Tejari as a platform on which to build a profitable presence in Dubai, the Middle East market, and the wider region," Hijazi said. "Not only can we bring our demonstrated online procurement best practices to Chinese organizations, we're also responding to the needs of current Tejari members that are eager to explore trading opportunities within China."

The Tejari presentation was made as part of the International Internet Summit, the main event of the conference, and focused on the development of innovation, market convergence and international co-operation through the Internet. Among the other participants in the International Summit were representatives of Microsoft, IBM, Google, Samsung, Sony, AMD and the leading Chinese-language Internet search provider, Baidu.com, along with government representatives and academics from various countries.

"The trading relationship between China and the Middle East, and with Dubai specifically, has never been stronger, and through the regional expertise that Tejari has developed during the past six years, we can drive that level of trade to even greater profitability, establishing successful new ventures and building an electronic bridge between Dubai, Tejari's trading partners from around the Middle East, and organizations in China, for the benefit of all," Hijazi added.