SHENZHEN — Saudi Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majid Al-Hogail inaugurated the Saudi-Chinese Contractors Forum in Shenzhen, China on Sunday. The forum forms part of his official visit to China from June 13 to 16, aimed at strengthening strategic partnerships across the housing, construction, infrastructure, and smart technologies sectors, while opening new avenues for cooperation and investment between the two countries. The forum is one component of Al-Hogails’ broader ministerial visit, which includes a series of meetings with government entities and international companies specializing in urban development, housing, smart city technologies, and digital transformation. The discussions also focus on opportunities for technology transfer, localization of construction-related industries, and the follow-up of joint partnerships and initiatives that contribute to the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The forum reflects the continued expansion of economic and investment cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China, supported by strong strategic relations and their growing collaboration across infrastructure, technology, industry, supply chains, and urban development. In his address at the forum, Al-Hogail stated that the forum reflects the advancement of Saudi-Chinese relations and their progression toward deeper levels of partnership and integration. He noted that the Kingdom is rapidly advancing the development of the construction and housing sector by attracting global expertise, localizing modern technologies, strengthening local content, and building national capabilities. The forum saw broad participation from government entities and leading companies from both Saudi Arabia and China. Participants explored opportunities for cooperation and investment in the construction sector, exchanged expertise in modern construction practices, sustainability, and advanced technologies, and supported sustainable urban development efforts. The event also witnessed the signing of six memoranda of understanding between Saudi and Chinese entities and companies, aimed at enhancing cooperation in investment, localization of modern construction technologies, knowledge and expertise transfer, human capability development, and support for public-private partnerships. These agreements cover sustainable construction, advanced technological solutions, supply chain development, and the creation of joint investment opportunities, contributing to the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and strengthening economic integration between the two countries. The signed memoranda represent a practical step toward localizing value chains within the Saudi construction sector. They encompass engineering, construction, and procurement, modern building technologies, robotics and smart systems, as well as building materials and metals supply chains. This supports the transition toward industrialized construction, enhances execution efficiency, improves productivity, and reduces costs and project timelines. The memorandum of understanding signed between the Saudi National Housing Company (NHC) and the Chinese company Sinoma reflects a strategic direction toward attracting global companies with advanced execution and financing capabilities to participate in the development of large-scale residential projects within the Kingdom. This aligns with efforts to increase housing supply and accelerate urban development. Other memoranda focus on transferring advanced technologies, localizing construction-related industries, developing national talent, and enhancing local content. During the forum, participants also discussed cooperation opportunities in modern construction, prefabrication, smart cities, sustainability, artificial intelligence applications, and digital technologies in urban project management, reflecting the rapid global transformation of the sector. The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing showcased its experience in digital transformation and the adoption of smart technologies to enhance government services. It also highlighted partnerships with leading global technology companies, including Huawei and ByteDance, as part of its strategy to build a more efficient system based on data, artificial intelligence, and advanced digital solutions. This approach aims to improve service quality, enhance institutional performance, and align with the objectives of digital government. On the sidelines of the forum, bilateral meetings were held between Saudi and Chinese companies to explore further trade and investment cooperation. It was agreed to immediately begin implementing the outcomes of the signed agreements and memoranda of understanding through a series of coordination meetings in Hong Kong starting Monday. In addition, reciprocal visits between entities and companies from both sides will be organized to develop joint projects and accelerate the implementation of agreed initiatives.Chinese companies and institutions were also invited to participate in the Future Projects Forum in Riyadh, a global platform bringing together investors, developers, and leaders in the construction and infrastructure sectors. It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia is moving toward the implementation of more than 100,000 housing units in partnership with Chinese companies by 2030, a model that reflects the evolution of Saudi-Chinese relations from traditional trade cooperation to an integrated development and technology partnership supporting sustainable growth in both countries.
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