Officials and state-owned enterprises from China and Saudi Arabia held a high-level dialogue in Beijing on Tuesday to align the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
Participants at the dialogue session said China and Saudi Arabia are taking their cooperation to new heights, with business leaders and policymakers from both countries charting a new chapter in bilateral ties.
"The Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 are deeply integrated, driving practical economic and trade cooperation between the two countries to a new level. China is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner, while Saudi Arabia has for many years remained China's top trading partner in the Arab region. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade reached 53.9 billion U.S. dollars," said Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), at the event.
Saudi Vision 2030 aims to diversify the kingdom's economy beyond oil, with innovation, green energy and infrastructure at its core.
The country's Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih said China and Saudi Arabia share ambitious growth goals, a sentiment echoed by Saudi business leaders.
"We are a main contributor to a lot of activities in the contracting industry and in the manufacturing and trading activities. We remain committed to supporting whatever activities between both countries and ensuring both visions are achieved with any financial support needed from our side," said Hady Jafar Mohammed Alshayeb, senior vice president of the Saudi National Bank, told China Global Television Network during the event.
The dialogue highlighted opportunities across manufacturing, the digital economy, and renewable energy. Both sides stressed that aligning the BRI and the Saudi Vision 2030 could bring long-term, sustainable growth.
As China and Saudi Arabia deepen trade and investment links, the partnership serves as a model of how global initiatives and national strategies can converge, participants said.
High-level strategic dialogue aligns China's BRI with Saudi Vision 2030
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
