RIYADH — The China-Saudi Investment Forum is set to be held next Tuesday in Beijing, with participation expected to reach 700 official personalities to increase joint cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China. The forum is organized by the Saudi Investment Ministry, in coordination with China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME). It will witness the participation of high-level government representatives, senior officials, CEOs, investors, and entrepreneurs who are looking to review and discuss investment opportunities and initiatives between the two countries. This comes on the sidelines of the visit of the Saudi Investment Minister Eng. Khalid Al-Falih to China, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region during the period from Dec. 7 to 12. The forum will strengthen Saudi Arabia's efforts in developing the path of the existing Saudi-Chinese strategic partnership in the economic, investment and trade fields, under the umbrella of the Kingdom's Vision 2030. The Vision enhances strategic partnerships and advances trade, investment and economic activities in several fields, in addition to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, which links Asia with Africa and Europe. As for the activities of the forum, it will include a number of dialogue sessions about several topics of common interest in the fields of clean energy, money, investment, mining and minerals. There will also be a number of workshops that will touch on the fields of tourism, entertainment, food security, agriculture, logistics services, shipping, supply chains, digital economy, artificial intelligence, manufacturing industries, modern and advanced technologies. The Saudi investment minister will pay a visit to a number of Chinese cities in order to hold meetings with company leaders in those regions. Moreover, the technical team of the Ministry will hold a number of workshops and field visits in those cities to discuss cooperation opportunities in the fields of common interest. This will enhance the investment and economic relations, in which representatives of the government and private sectors from the both countries will participate. Earlier, Al-Falih participated in a symposium within the Asia Future Investment Initiative (FII) Priority Summit in Hong Kong, during which he emphasized the Middle East, led by Saudi Arabia, is a key player in the Global South's prosperity. "Energy and digital transitions will act as equalizers, propelling the region's leadership on the global stage," he said. The Saudi minister also participated in the roundtable meeting with an elite group of corporate and business leaders, in which they discussed ways of enhancing investment and economic partnership. It is noteworthy that the diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and China extend for more than 30 years. China is considered as Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner. The trade and investment between the two countries is also witnessing significant growth in recent years.
