穆罕奈德：我在义乌开了“我家餐厅”

王金帅 郎擎宇

穆罕奈德的浙江足迹

穆罕奈德是2002年来到浙江义乌的。

“2002年，朋友告诉我义乌有一个市场，很多外国人要到那边做外贸。我借了钱，在义乌开了第一家阿拉伯餐厅，差不多两三年就慢慢地把生意打理好了。” 穆罕奈德不但汉语说得不差，还有一副“热心肠”，所以在彼时的阿拉伯商人圈中，这家餐厅成了接待客商洽谈生意的好去处。

10多年来，他把原汁原味的阿拉伯饮食文化带到义乌，也在义乌的繁荣兴旺中收获了事业和爱情。他的儿子刘飞翔和刘义飞也在浙江出生，“浙江让我梦想成真，在这里我实现了我的中国梦。”

让穆罕奈德广为人知的是这件事——2014年，习近平主席在中阿合作论坛第六届部长级会议开幕式上的讲话中谈到一个故事：“在阿拉伯商人云集的义乌市，一位名叫穆罕奈德的约旦商人开了一家地道的阿拉伯餐馆。他把原汁原味的阿拉伯饮食文化带到了义乌，也在义乌的繁荣兴旺中收获了事业成功，最终同中国姑娘喜结连理，把根扎在了中国。一个普通阿拉伯青年人，把自己的人生梦想融入中国百姓追求幸福的中国梦中，执着奋斗，演绎了出彩人生，也诠释了中国梦和阿拉伯梦的完美结合。”

2018年，穆罕奈德的新餐厅开业，取名为“贝迪餐厅”，中文意为“我家餐厅”，大家来了餐厅就是到了家里、都是家人。

Ta眼里的浙江

穆罕奈德看義乌的城市变化很实际：“以前是矮房，路也很窄，出租车也没有，现在全部是高楼。” 近年来，随着“一带一路”倡议的提出与发展，作为倡议支点城市的义乌，每年都会吸引超过50万人次的境外客商来到这座有着“世界小商品之都”之称的小城采购商品，进行贸易往来。

穆罕奈德说，自己事业的发展还与近年义乌政府为外籍人士提供的个性化服务密切相关。“义乌政府不‘小气，你遇到了什么事，政府就会帮助你。隔段时间，政府就请各国商会负责人开会，问问最近遇到的麻烦。我们提过的子女教育、医疗等问题现在都解决了。”

在他看来，在“一带一路”倡议之下，义乌用上述友好态度成就着外国商人，而更多外国人前来“掘金”也助力义乌经济持续保持繁荣。

“中国是我妻子和两个儿子的祖国，是我的第二故乡，我希望一辈子和我的家人生活在中国。”穆罕奈德说。身为“新义乌人”的穆罕奈德也享受着“一带一路”带来的许多红利，不仅餐厅规模越来越大，还积极投身到当地的社会治理之中，先后获得“西湖友谊奖”“商城友谊奖”等诸多奖项。

“火车会经过‘一带一路沿线的很多国家，越来越多的非洲人、欧洲人到义乌来采购、做生意。我们要找平安的地方工作、生活，有了安全、稳定的环境，我们的生活、生意才会越来越好。现在我们餐厅多了许多其他国家的客人，今后的生意会越来越好。”

对于未来，他充满期待。

Seventeen years have elapsed since Mohanad Shalabi started his restaurant business in Yiwu， Zhejiang. In 2002， he learned from friends that many international traders gravitated toward a huge marketplace in Yiwu. Mohanad Shalabi borrowed some money， arrived in Yiwu， and started an Arabic restaurant there. In two years， his restaurant had a firm Arab clientele from the international community in Yiwu. The restaurant became a magnet for Arabian people in Yiwu and many met there to talk business as Mohanad Shalabi speaks Chinese fluently and is highly hospitable.

Mohanad Shalabi presents authentic Arab cuisine in Yiwu. He is married to a Chinese woman and now the couple has two sons born in Zhejiang. In 2018， he expanded his business and opened a much bigger Arabic restaurant. He has won some awards such as West Lake Friendship Prize for his contribution to Yiwu. “It is in Zhejiang that my dream comes true and I have achieved my Chinese Dream，” enthuses the Jordanian restaurateur.

President Xi Jinping mentioned Mohanad Shalabis story at the opening ceremony of the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in June 2014. “The rapid development of relations between China and Arab countries drew their peoples together，” Xi remarked. “There is a Jordanian， Mohanad Shalabi， in Yiwu where Arabic businesspeople congregate. He set up an Arabic restaurant， and prospered along with the city. He has since married a Chinese woman and settled in China. An ordinary young Arab， weaving his dream of life into the Chinese Dream of pursuing happiness， eventually reached success through hard work. This is the best example of the Chinese Dream meeting the Arabic Dream.”

In Yiwu， Mohanad Shalabi has witnessed tremendous changes at close hand. “Once upon time， the buildings were low， the roads were narrow and there was no taxi. Now tall buildings are everywhere，” says Mohanad Shalabi. Yiwu attracts 500，000 foreign businesspeople to visit the worlds capital of household commodities. Muhannad explains that the local governments individualized service has helped his business. “The government is generous. It comes to our help whenever we have problems. The government holds meetings at regular intervals to ask leaders of international chambers of commerce what the government can do to solve our problems. Issues such as education for our children and medical care are all solved.”

Mohanad Shalabi strongly supports Chinas Belt & Road Initiative as Yiwu is a key city in the initiative. Now cargo trains regularly go all the way from Yiwu to Europe. More and more people from Africa and Europe come to visit Yiwu and buy. “China is the mother country of my wife and two sons. And it is my second home country. I hope I can live in China with my family all my life. We want to live and do business in peace and stability. It is in peace and stability that we can live well and our business can be better. Nowadays our restaurant has many customers from other countries. And our business will be better in the future.”

From 2013 to 2018， the import and export between Zhejiang and the countries and regions along the Belt and Road amounted to 4.3388 trillion yuan. In the same period， the inbound investment from the Belt & Road countries and regions amounted to 3.39 billion US dollars whereas the outbound investment from Zhejiang to the Belt & Road countries and regions numbered 28 billion yuan. At present， businesses from Zhejiang operate 10 economic and trade zones in the countries and regions along the Belt and Road. The total investment into the 10 zones amounted to 5.5 billion USD and created more than 60，000 jobs in host countries and regions.