From adding Muslim workers to their production lines and changing their ingredients Josh Anderson Blue Jackets Jersey , to expanding production capacity, companies in China are aiming to enter the global halal food market. Local governments are also hoping to jump on the Belt and Road initiative to develop inland regions. But hurdles like halal food certification and food quality control still need to be overcome.
When Ali Mueen, second secretary of the Maldives embassy in China, first came to Beijing a few months ago, he was worried most about the food.
He didn't know if he could get genuine halal food in a non-Muslim country. In fact, he brought over 80 percent of his day to day food from the Maldives. But when he traveled to Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region last week Nick Foligno Blue Jackets Jersey , he said his concerns disappeared.
A chef slices mutton at a Muslim restaurant. Photo: CFP
Last week, Mueen spoke at the International Development and Investment Forum on Halal Industries under the Belt and Road Initiative held in Wuzhong, Ningxia during the 2015 China-Arab States Expo. Local government officials and experts also attended the forum to discuss how to help Ningxia's halal industries reach the international market.
For years, local governments have been trying to help Chinese businesses enter the international halal food market. China has a Muslim population of about 20 million and Ningxia has 2.5 million, second only to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Local authorities saw this as an opportunity for development, especially after the Belt and Road initiative was brought forward.
However David Savard Blue Jackets Jersey , despite government and enterprises' efforts, halal food producers still face major hurdles in getting their food onto foreign plates, such as the difficulty of getting recognized halal certification, and widespread worries about the quality of Chinese food.
Local push
Zhao Yongqing, secretary of the Wuzhong Party Committee, told the Global Times that the day after President Xi Jinping announced the initiative in Kazakhstan in 2013 Mark Letestu Blue Jackets Jersey , he started thinking about how it could benefit the city of 1.3 million.
Sep. 17th, Linxia, the 2015 International Muslim food exhibition was held in Hui autonomous prefecture of Linxia in Gansu province. (CNS photoYang Yanmin)
"Fifty-three percent of the population of Wuzhong are of the Hui ethnicity (the majority of whom are Muslim)," Zhao said. "For more than 400 years, Wuzhong served as an important stop on the ancient Silk Road and developed a Muslim community."
Right now, the halal industry in China is a minor player on the world stage. According