The Silk Road-themed art exhibition is organised by the Egyptian and Chinese culture ministries, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Chinese Embassy in Cairo, and embraces dozens of artworks by Arab and Chinese artists, a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture said.

The exhibition showcased 47 artworks by a number of Arab artists, 40 paintings and artistic ceramics created by Chinese artists to promote Arab-Chinese friendship, in addition to 10 distinguished works of ceramics, added the ministry.

The exhibition is held “in appreciation of the prominent role that had been played by the Silk Road in promoting cultural exchange between countries over many centuries,” El-Kilany said in a speech at the inauguration ceremony.

El-Kilany also hailed the major role played by the Silk Road in enriching ancient civilisations, especially the Egyptian, Chinese and Indian civilisations, besides its main role as a trade corridor.

The ancient Silk Road constituted a network of trade routes that linked China with Europe and the Middle East for more than 1,500 years and helped facilitate economic, cultural, and religious interactions between the East and West.

In a speech, Minister Hu Heping read out a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Arab artists.

In the message – which was translated by state-owned China Daily news website – Xi said that “culture can connect hearts, and art can interlink the world.”

"Exchanges between the Chinese and Arab civilisations have spanned thousands of years with mutual appreciation from the opening of the ancient Silk Road to the Belt and Road cooperation,” he said.

The history of such Arab-Chinese exchanges has written a “historical legacy of mutual learning,” the Chinese president added.

Xi noted that China and Arab countries agreed last year at the first Arab-China Summit to spare no effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.

The China-Arab relations are now at a new historical starting point, he stressed, inviting Arab artists to visit China in order to create more artworks that can promote cultural exchange between the two sides.

Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), affirmed the keenness of the LAS member states on participating in this major event, hailing the role played by the Egyptian culture ministry as a bridge of communication between peoples.

Minister Hu Heping’s visit to Egypt, which started on Saturday, is his first official visit outside China since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Hu held a meeting yesterday with Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa in which he expressed China’s keenness to enhance cooperation with Egypt in various fields, including tourism.