His Excellency Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, Minister of Municipalities and Housing, opened the “Saudi-Chinese Contractors Forum” today in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, as part of an official visit to China from June 13 to 16, aimed at strengthening strategic partnerships in the housing, construction, infrastructure, and smart technology sectors, and opening new horizons for cooperation and investment between the two countries.
The visit includes a series of meetings with government agencies and international companies specializing in urban development, housing, smart city technologies, and digital transformation, as well as exploring opportunities for technology transfer and the localization of industries related to the construction sector, and following up on a number of joint partnerships and initiatives that contribute to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The forum builds on a growing trajectory of economic and investment cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China, in light of the strong strategic ties between the two countries and the ongoing expansion in the fields of infrastructure, technology, industry, supply chains, and urban development.
His Excellency the Minister emphasized that the forum reflects the evolution of Saudi-Chinese relations and their transition to more advanced levels of partnership and integration, noting that the Kingdom is moving rapidly toward developing the construction and housing sector by attracting global expertise, localizing modern technologies, promoting local content, and building national capacity.
The forum saw broad participation from government agencies and leading companies from both the Saudi and Chinese sides, where participants discussed opportunities for cooperation and investment in the construction sector, exchanged expertise in the fields of modern construction, sustainability, and advanced technologies, and supported sustainable urban development.
Signing of 6 Memoranda of Understanding
The forum witnessed the signing of six memoranda of understanding between Saudi and Chinese entities and companies, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the areas of investment, localizing modern construction technologies, transferring knowledge and expertise, developing human capacity, and supporting public-private partnerships, The agreements covered cooperation in sustainable construction, advanced technical solutions, supply chain development, and the creation of joint investment opportunities, thereby contributing to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and strengthening economic integration between the two countries.
The signed memorandums represent a practical step toward localizing value chains in the Saudi construction sector, covering the fields of engineering, construction, and procurement; modern construction technologies; robotics and smart technologies, and supply chains for construction materials and metals. This supports the shift toward industrialized construction, increases execution efficiency, boosts productivity, and reduces project costs and timelines.
The memorandum of understanding signed between NHC and the Chinese company “Sinoma” reflects a strategy to attract global companies with advanced implementation and financing capabilities to participate in the development of large-scale housing projects within the Kingdom, in support of the goals of increasing housing supply and accelerating the pace of urban development, while other memorandums of understanding focus on transferring advanced technologies, localizing industries related to the construction sector, developing national expertise, and promoting local content.
During the forum, participants discussed opportunities for cooperation in the fields of modern construction, prefabrication, smart cities, sustainability, and the application of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in urban project management, in line with the rapid transformations the sector is undergoing globally.
During the forum, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing presented its experience with digital transformation and the adoption of smart technologies in the development of government services, as well as its partnerships with a number of leading global technology companies, including Huawei and ByteDance, as part of the Ministry’s drive to build a more efficient operational system based on data, artificial intelligence, and advanced digital solutions, thereby enhancing service quality, improving institutional performance, and aligning with the goals of the digital government.
Bilateral Meetings Between Saudi and Chinese Companies
On the sidelines of the forum, bilateral meetings were held between Saudi and Chinese companies to discuss opportunities for trade and investment cooperation, and it was agreed to immediately begin implementing the outcomes of the signed agreement and memoranda of understanding through a series of coordination meetings in Hong Kong starting tomorrow, in addition to organizing reciprocal visits between agencies and companies from both sides to develop joint projects and accelerate the implementation of agreed-upon initiatives.
Chinese companies and institutions were invited to participate in the Future Projects Forum in Riyadh, which serves as a global platform bringing together investors, developers, and leaders in the construction and infrastructure sectors, thereby enabling the exploration of new opportunities for cooperation and investment and strengthening the long-term Saudi-Chinese economic partnership.
Meetings during the visit are scheduled to continue over the coming days with a number of Chinese companies and institutions specializing in smart city technologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced construction solutions, in addition to field visits to learn about China’s pioneering experiences in urban transformation and modern urban technologies, thereby contributing to the adoption and application of global best practices in the Kingdom’s development projects.
The forum and the resulting agreements and memoranda of understanding confirm that the Saudi-Chinese partnership has moved from the stage of exchanging expertise to that of capacity building, joint manufacturing, technology transfer, and knowledge localization, thereby strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a regional hub for the modern construction and building sector and supporting its goals in housing, smart cities, and sustainable urban development.
The forum is one of the initiatives supporting the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to increase the housing supply and improving quality of life, as the Kingdom moves toward the construction of more than 100,000 housing units in partnership with Chinese companies by 2030, in a model that reflects the evolution of Saudi-Chinese relations from traditional trade cooperation to an integrated development and technology partnership that supports sustainable growth in both countries.
