UAE will focus on greening the desert at Beijing Expo 2019

Beijing - UAE will highlight the country's achievements and innovation in agriculture at the exhibition

The UAE will focus on greening the desert during the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, starting tomorrow.
Spanning over 1,850 square metres, around 80 per cent of pavilion's space has been allocated for garden and the remaining 20 per cent is built-up space.
The pavilion showcases the country's natural landscape, palm trees, traditional agriculture, and agricultural oases.
The UAE will highlight the country's achievements and innovation in agriculture at the exhibition, which will run in Yanqing District, Beijing, from April 29 to October 7.
The UAE relies on green development and horticulture as a catalyst for advance civilisation and ensuring people's well-being.
At Expo 2019 Beijing, the UAE pavilion set to shed light on the UAE founding father the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's efforts to develop the country's agricultural sector.
China is one of the UAE's largest trading partner with bilateral trade hitting $53 billion last year, an increase of 17 per cent over the previous year. While China's investment in to the UAE totalled $9.1 billion by 2017-end mainly in oil and gas, infrastructure, finance, construction, telecom, trade and other sectors.
Bilateral ties between the two nations are strengthening with every passing year. His High Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also visited China to participate in the second edition of the Belt and Road initiative.
During Sheikh Mohammed's visit, the Chinese firm Yiwu will invest $2.4 billion to set up 60 million sqft station for storing and transporting Chinese goods from Jebel Ali to other parts of the world visa New Silk Road. While another project "Vegetable "Basket" will be launched later at a cost of $1 billion for processing and packaging agricultural products.
The UAE pavilion will also take visitors through the Park section, which includes valleys and aflaj (or oasis) that imitate the UAE's environmental landscape and highlight the changes that have transformed the desert over the years into a green environment and home to various species of plants.
Visitors will also be able to visit the Cultural Section, which reflects the traditions and heritage of the UAE and its people. On their way to exit the pavilion, visitors will have an opportunity to explore the UAE's preparations to host Expo 2020 Dubai and the ongoing construction of the site.
"The UAE's participation at the Expo 2019 Beijing reflects our wise leadership's vision to develop and upgrade several sectors, including agriculture. It also embodies the NMC's commitment to representing the UAE and disseminating its message by attending such prominent regional and international events," said Dr Rashid Al Nuaimi, Commissioner-General of the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2019 Beijing.
The 162-day expo is expected to attract 16 million visitors with a huge collection of plants and flowers.
- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com