On June 27, 2025, the China-Saudi Enterprises (Suzhou) Investment Promotion Conference was successfully held in the renowned Jiangnan city of Changshu, marking a significant milestone—the official unveiling of the Saudi Investment and Business Center (Saudi Center). Over 300 distinguished guests, including political and business leaders from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries, as well as investment institution experts and representatives from leading Chinese enterprises, gathered to witness and propel China-Saudi cooperation to new heights.
Saudi Center: Building Five Core Functions
As a key outcome of this conference, the officially inaugurated Saudi Investment and Business Center will undertake multiple strategic missions in the future, providing a solid physical platform and institutionalized mechanism to deepen bilateral cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia.
Clear functions, precise role: The Saudi Center comprises five core pillars: the Trade Center, Investment Promotion Center, Cultural Exchange Center, Investment Hub, and Joint Innovation Center. It comprehensively covers key areas such as two-way investment facilitation, sci-tech innovation collaboration, trade in services expansion, and cultural exchanges, positioning itself as an integrated hub dedicated to advancing all-round practical cooperation between the two sides.
Accelerated Construction, Imminent Launch: The Saudi Center project is currently in its final completion phase and is expected to officially commence operations next year, providing robust support for business collaboration between Chinese and Saudi enterprises.
Parallel Advancement of Core Platforms: As the flagship platform for the Saudi Center's trade functions, Phase I of the China-Saudi International Industrial Cooperation Park is also under full-scale construction and is scheduled for completion and simultaneous operational launch by the end of next year. The accelerated progress of these projects vividly demonstrates the efficiency and determination of China-Saudi collaborative efforts.
Domestic Services Deployment in Parallel: Furthermore, to better serve Chinese enterprises expanding overseas, the Saudi Center plans to initiate preparatory work for the "China Enterprise Service Center" (China Center) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by year-end 2025. This dedicated platform will provide comprehensive support services to facilitate the growth of Chinese businesses in the Saudi market.
Policy Boost: Prioritized at Provincial & Municipal Levels, Targeting National-Level Cooperation Status
From its initial planning stages, the Saudi Center has received high-level attention and strong support from all tiers of Chinese government. Its strategic importance has been formally recognized in official documents, as evidenced by:
Provincial & Municipal Strategic Priority: The Saudi Center's development has been officially included in both the Jiangsu Province's 2024 Key Tasks for the "Belt and Road" Intersection Point Construction and Suzhou's 2024 Work Plan for Participating in the "Belt and Road" Initiative, positioning it as a critical lever for local integration into national strategy.
Write in the government work report: Accelerating the construction of the 'Saudi Arabia Center' has been listed as one of the main goals and tasks in the 2024 Suzhou Municipal Government Work Report, and has become a key supervision item of the municipal government.
Actively strive for national recognition: It is understood that the Saudi Arabia Center is actively seeking to be included in the List of Key Cooperation Tasks/Cooperation Matters for China Saudi Arabia Joint Construction of the "the Belt and Road" led by the National Development and Reform Commission. Once successfully included, it will greatly enhance its position at the national strategic level.
Future outlook: Stronger bridges and broader cooperation
The completion and operation of the Saudi Arabia Investment and Business Center indicates that the economic and trade relations between China and Saudi Arabia have entered a golden period of institutionalized and tangible development
The strategic bridge plays a prominent role: As an important hub connecting China and Saudi Arabia, the center will provide a one-stop and normalized platform for interactive exchanges, project docking, and cooperation negotiations between the public and private sectors of the two countries in the future.
Supporting enterprises to go both ways: The center not only serves Saudi enterprises to invest and develop in China, but also will strongly support Chinese enterprises to enter Saudi Arabia, form a win-win pattern of "bringing in" and "going out", and create a high-quality demonstration model for the "the Belt and Road" initiative to connect with Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030".
Continued deepening of partnership: At this conference,ASTC+As representatives of China Saudi Arabia cooperation partners, attending and signing the agreement demonstrates the willingness of both sides to deepen cooperation in a wider range of fields. The Saudi center will become an important link to consolidate these collaborations.
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