YINCHUAN - A national-level China-Arab research institute was launched on Thursday in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, where many of the country's Muslim Hui ethnic minority live.

The institute, affiliated with Ningxia University in the regional capital of Yinchuan, will bring together Chinese and Arabic scholars and focus on such areas as Sino-Arabic diplomatic affairs, Sino-Arabic cooperation in finance, technology transfer and industry, and cultural and educational exchanges between China and Arab countries.

The institute is expected to be a top think tank offering decision-making consultation in Sino-Arabic exchange and cooperation, as well as to cultivate a group of specialists in Arabic studies, university authorities said.

Yahya Eslayyem Salman Qaralleh, Jordanian ambassador to China, said the research institute will help China deepen its understanding of Arab people and culture and help the Chinese government make more objective and convincing decisions with regard to Arab countries.

About one-third of Ningxia's population of 6.68 million is Muslim. The region expects to use its religious links to the countries involved in the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative to revive trade and relations with countries along the route spanning Central Asia, Russia and Europe.