RIYADH, (Xinhua): The year 2025 has seen China-Gulf relations make notable strides, with cooperation deepening across such areas as culture, technology, and green energy, paving the way for further collaboration and stronger ties.
The growing partnership between China and the Gulf states, analysts say, is becoming not only a driving force behind the region’s efforts to diversify its economy, but a crucial pillar of global economic growth and collaboration.
MUTUAL APPRECIATION OF CULTURES
Cultural exchanges have been a highlight in China-Gulf relations.
Over the past year, a variety of cultural events, including Chinese film festivals, calligraphy exhibitions, language promotion activities, and arts tours, have been held across Gulf countries, providing local residents with a deeper insight into Chinese culture.
Ahmad Sulaiman, the winner of Saudi Arabia’s first “Chinese Bridge” Chinese proficiency competition for university students, said that attending various Chinese events has greatly enhanced his understanding of and interest in Chinese culture.
The interest in culture is reciprocal. While Chinese culture continues to attract more followers in the Gulf, Arabic culture is also gaining popularity in China.
In September, the Great Wall Marathon of Huairou and Zayed Charity Run in Beijing honored the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), blending sports with cultural exchange. The event also featured a UAE cultural fair that highlighted Emirati traditions, heritage arts, and cuisine, drawing many Chinese participants.
The relationship between the two countries goes beyond trade and economic cooperation; it’s grounded in a shared humanitarian vision and the belief that “the world needs more bridges, not barriers,” said Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, the UAE Ambassador to China.
In June, China launched a trial policy allowing visa-free entry for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, further enhancing people-to-people exchanges between China and the Gulf countries. As more grassroots interactions unfold, mutual understanding and friendship between the two sides are expected to strengthen further.
EXPANDING HORIZONS FOR COOPERATION
On the foundation of increasing public support, China-Gulf cooperation has steadily expanded to new areas, including cutting-edge fields like technology and green energy.
In February, China’s Lenovo and Saudi tech company Alat broke ground on a 200,000-square-meter manufacturing facility in Riyadh, set to produce laptops and servers. Expected to start operations in 2026, the plant will create up to 15,000 jobs.
In July, China’s WeRide launched a robotaxi pilot service in Saudi Arabia. “The launch of autonomous taxi services reflects the kingdom’s forward-looking vision and strategic investment in future mobility,” said Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh Al-Jasser.
From AI models to flying cars, China’s growing participation in high-tech sectors across the Gulf has become a key driver of future technological and economic development in the region.
“The Middle East market has a strong interest in Chinese tech products, and the region’s digital transformation offers valuable opportunities for collaboration,” said Zhao Deli, founder of XPENG AEROHT, a Chinese company developing flying cars.
As Gulf states transition from an energy-dependent development model to one focused on economic diversification, new opportunities for collaboration with Chinese companies have emerged in renewable energy and green infrastructure.
China and Saudi Arabia are highly complementary in green energy investment and technological development, said Saleh Al Khabti, Saudi energy giant ACWA Power’s China president, adding that China’s investments in renewable energy have played a key role in accelerating the global adoption of wind, solar, and hydropower technologies.
Cooperation between China and Gulf countries, noted Saudi scholar Fahad Araeshi, has expanded beyond oil to include clean technologies, supply chains, and energy transition, marking a shift from traditional partnerships to more integrated, sustainable frameworks of bilateral engagement.
A MORE IMPORTANT CHINESE ROLE
In view of the expanding cooperation across multiple sectors, analysts say China is poised to play a more significant role in the future development of Gulf countries.
In a report published in November, Britain-based think tank Asia House noted that China overtook the West as the Gulf’s largest trading partner in 2024, with trade volume surpassing the Gulf’s combined trade with the United States, Britain, and the Eurozone for the first time.
Partnerships between China and Gulf countries are becoming “long-term, systematic, and institutionalized,” noticed Chen Fei, deputy director of the Business Development Department at SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd.
He added that with financial strength, successful experience, and strong risk management capabilities, Chinese firms will make greater contributions to local development.
Behind the growing cooperation lies the continuous strengthening of mutual political trust. The frequent high-level exchanges between the two sides throughout 2025 have sent a clear signal of their commitment to deepening cooperation and enhancing ties.
In his recent visit to the region, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two sides have become companions on the path to development and revitalization, as well as good partners for win-win cooperation.
China, Wang stressed, is willing to work with Gulf countries to further advance mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions, and consolidate the public support for their friendship.
The year 2025 marks a new milestone in China-Gulf relations, creating the conditions for broader and deeper cooperation in the future, said Araeshi, adding that as their collaboration deepens, a stronger China-Gulf relationship will not only serve the interests of both sides but also contribute to regional and global stability and development.
