Promote the steady and long-term development of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Saudi Arabia

　　At the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held recently, a number of cooperation projects related to Saudi Arabia were included in the list of practical cooperation projects of the summit, which fully demonstrates that China and Saudi Arabia are continuously achieving positive results in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

　　Saudi Arabia is one of the first countries to respond, support and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. Saudi leaders have expressed on many occasions that they are willing to strengthen the synergy of development strategies with China and continue to deepen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping paid state visits to Saudi Arabia in 2016 and 2022, charting the way forward and injecting strong impetus into the Belt and Road Initiative. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Saudi Arabia have achieved fruitful results in jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative.

　　China supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and a series of major development initiatives such as the Green Middle East, actively participates in Saudi Arabia's industrialization process, and helps Saudi Arabia diversify its economy. The two governments have signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative, and an implementation plan for the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Vision 2030. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the relevant departments of the two countries have signed a number of cooperation agreements in the fields of energy, infrastructure, investment, transportation, communications and information technology.

　　Chinese enterprises are deeply involved in the construction of infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, and their business covers a wide range of fields. The Mecca Light Railway, built and operated by China Railway Construction Co., Ltd., is the first light rail railway in Saudi Arabia. The Jazan Economic City Commercial Port, which China Harbor participated in the design, construction, investment and operation of the commercial port, drives maritime trade in southwest Saudi Arabia. A number of Chinese companies have participated in the construction of Saudi Arabia's new Future City related projects, bringing Chinese concepts, technologies and quality to Saudi Arabia's future city model.

　　The economies of the two countries are highly complementary and have great potential for cooperation. China has been Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner since 2013, and bilateral trade has increased by 61% in 10 years. Saudi Arabia has long been one of China's major crude oil suppliers and China's largest trading partner in the Middle East for more than 20 consecutive years. The 2.6 GW photovoltaic project in Al Shubah, Saudi Arabia, undertaken by China Energy Gezhouba International Company, is the world's largest photovoltaic power plant under construction, which will reduce carbon emissions by about 3.12 million tons per year after completion, and is a benchmark project for Saudi Arabia's energy transition. Chinese technology companies have also carried out fruitful cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fields of big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and smart city construction, helping Saudi Arabia digitally transform its economy.

　　Saudi Arabia is one of the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has opened branches in Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Not long ago, Bank of China Riyadh Branch opened, becoming the second Chinese bank to land in Saudi Arabia. The Export-Import Bank of China and the National Bank of Saudi Arabia have successfully launched the first RMB loan cooperation, marking a new level of cooperation between financial institutions of the two countries.

　　The "Chinese fever" continues to heat up in Saudi Arabia. In 2022, President Xi Jinping replied to the representatives of Saudi Chinese learners, encouraging Saudi youth to learn Chinese well and make new contributions to enhancing China-Saudi Arabia and China-Arab friendship. At present, four universities in Saudi Arabia offer Chinese majors, and the first Confucius Institute officially opened in June this year. The archaeological project of Port Salin jointly carried out by China and Saudi Arabia and discovered porcelain and coins from different historical periods of China, which once again confirmed the long history of friendly exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia and China and the Arabian Peninsula.

　　As the Arabic proverb goes, "Words are the leaves, but actions are the fruits." The Belt and Road Initiative, a tree of friendship and development, has flourished and yielded fruitful results. China and Saudi Arabia will work together to continue the millennium of Silk Road exchanges, promote the steady and long-term development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and continue to benefit the two countries and peoples.

　　(The author is the Chinese ambassador to Saudi Arabia)