Saudi-Chinese Bilateral Relations: A Partnership Extending to Economy, Education, and Tourism

2024-09-11T14:27:44.983Z

Saudi-Chinese Bilateral Relations: A Partnership Extending to Economy, Education, and Tourism

Saudi-Chinese relations have witnessed remarkable development at all levels, especially after the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2019, during which he chaired the Saudi side in the third session of the Saudi-China Joint High-Level Committee.

Saudi Arabia then reviewed the prospects of bilateral partnership between the two sides within the framework of Vision 2030 and China's Belt and Road Initiative, and 12 memoranda of understanding and agreements were signed between the two countries.

The relationship further evolved and achieved a qualitative leap after the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Chinese president, and the signing by the Crown Prince of the agreement to establish a high-level Saudi-Chinese joint committee, with the two countries alternating in hosting its meetings.

Building relations with countries of political weight and economic power is a Saudi approach, as the Kingdom seeks to forge and strengthen partnerships with countries in a balanced manner that ensures the achievement of its goals, especially regarding economic and investment files. China has a history in industry, technology, and all types of economies.

Relations with China were not limited to the economic aspect but extended to education. The Kingdom included the Chinese language in its curricula and recruited 171 Chinese male and female teachers to teach Chinese in the current year 2024, and sent 100 male and female teachers to China to obtain a master's degree in teaching Chinese.

Today, China is one of the largest investors in the Kingdom, having pumped investments worth $16.8 billion in 2023, compared to $1.5 billion in 2022, while Saudi investments in China reached 75 billion riyals.

In trade balance, the volume of goods and merchandise exchange and overall trade between the two countries reached $97 billion in 2023, with the Kingdom recording progress in this regard. It exported goods worth $54 billion to the People's Republic of China and imported goods worth $43 billion from it. The People's Republic of China has ranked first in the list of the Kingdom's trading partners since 2014.