by Hamed Hassan Alshehri
Board Member of Saudi Journalists Association, Editor-in-Chief of Saudipedia, Saudi Arabia
Saudi-Chinese Relations
Saudi-Chinese relations are diplomatic relations established between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and People’s Republic of China dating back to the late thirties of the twentieth century. In the beginning, the relationship was simply a trade confined to receiving Chinese pilgrims. Then in 1990, both countries agreed on establishing full diplomatic relationships and exchanging ambassadors. The relationship was established as per the Kingdom’s perspective on external policy that aims at building relationships in favor of the nation’s interest and diversifying the diplomatic connections with all nations in accordance with the Kingdom’s principles.
In 2008, both countries solidified their relationship by establishing and developing a “strategic friendship” between both nations, strengthening collaborations in the fields of politics, economy, trade, culture, humanity, military, security, and energy on the regional and international levels to elevate these relationships to a higher level.
The relationship between Saudi Arabia and China was fortified in various fields. In 2016, both countries established a high-profile Saudi-Chinese committee whose first meetings yielded in both governments endorsing 17 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including: memorandum of understanding in the field of energy, memorandum of understanding in the field of oil storage, memorandum of understanding in the field of housing, memorandum of understanding in the field of mining, memorandum of understanding in the field of water resources, an agreement to fund a project to rebuild areas affected by earthquakes, an agreement to fund a project to build multiple buildings for the Faculty of Financial Engineering, and an executive program to enhance the digital silk road.
The cooperation between the two countries continued with the signing of 12 governmental agreements and memorandums of understanding in 2022 in the fields of hydrogen energy, judiciary, Chinese language education, housing, direct investment, radio and television, digital economy, economic development, standardization, media coverage, tax administration, and anti-corruption. Additionally, 9 agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between the public and private sectors, and 25 agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between companies in both countries.
The enhancement of economic relations between the two countries persisted, with the establishment of a Saudi-Chinese fund to support emerging technology companies in the Kingdom, with a capital of 1.5 billion Saudi Riyals, in partnership between the Chinese (eWTp) supported by Alibaba and the Public Investment Fund, and with support from the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming, and Drones.
Saudi-Chinese Trade Exchange
With the growing relations between the two countries, the value of trade has evolved significantly. At the establishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and China in 1990, bilateral trade was around $500 million. By 2000, it jumped to approximately $3 billion, and by 2021, it reached $88 billion, marking an increase of more than 22 times over the past two decades.
In 2022, the value of trade between the Kingdom and China further escalated to $106.1 billion. Looking at the growth for 2022, Saudi-Chinese trade volume grew four times higher compared to China’s trade growth with the world.
The commercial growth continues as Saudi Arabia remains a top destination for Chinese foreign investments in the first half of 2022, with the Kingdom’s share of Chinese foreign investments globally reaching about $5.5 billion out of $28.5 billion, equivalent to approximately 20% of total Chinese foreign investments.
Cultural and Educational Relations between Saudi Arabia and China
Saudi Arabia and China are linked by growing cultural, educational, and traditional ties. More than 20,000 Saudi citizens visit China annually for tourism, work, and study purposes, while the Chinese community in the Kingdom is estimated at around 20,000 individuals. There are 40 Chinese universities teaching the Arabic language, and King Abdulaziz Public Library opened a branch at Peking University in 2018. In 2019, Chinese language was introduced into the curriculum of several Saudi schools.
China hosts over 382 Saudi scholarship students and their dependents as of the end of 2019, in addition to Saudi students outside the scholarship program and sponsored employees overseen by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in China.
Relations between the Kingdom and China have seen development in cultural aspects, including the exhibition of Saudi archaeological artifacts in Beijing and the exhibition of Chinese cultural artifacts in Riyadh. A branch of King Abdulaziz Public Library was also inaugurated at Peking University.
In the context of cooperation in tourism and education, Chinese language teaching has begun in several Saudi universities and schools, while Arabic language is taught in 44 Chinese universities. The Ministry of Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding with the technical arm of Alibaba Group to provide inspiring and seamless tourism experiences for visitors from China to promote Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination in the Chinese market.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation
To enhance relations between the two countries on an intellectual and social level, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China was announced on February 21, 2019. The award aims to honor distinguished academics, linguists, and creators from Saudi Arabia and China in categories such as: Best Scientific Research in Arabic Language, Best Creative Artwork, Best Translation of a Book from Arabic to Chinese and vice versa, Personality of the Year, and Most Influential Personality in Cultural Circles for the year.
This award builds upon previous cultural efforts, including the launch of King Abdulaziz Public Library at Peking University in 2017.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.