High-level strategic dialogue aligns China's BRI with Saudi Vision 2030

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

China is calling for an immediate cessation of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and joint efforts to oppose such unilateral actions, the Chinese envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday.

Li Song, China's permanent representative to the IAEA, said that military strikes against Iran, launched by the United States and Israel, have led to a sudden escalation of an already volatile situation in the Middle East.

Li said the attacks launched as the U.S. and Iran were in the midst of negotiations were unacceptable, as was the blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns such unilateral acts, Li said.

Li said that China respects Iran's legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and attaches great importance to Iran's repeated reaffirmations that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. He also highlighted a report released by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, which stated that no evidence of Iran developing nuclear weapons had been found.

Peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means is the only correct option and is in the common interest of the international community, Li said.

Chinese IAEA envoy calls for cessation of US-Israeli attacks on Iran