Saudi Gazette Report

HONG KONG — Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef concluded on Sunday an official visit to China, which included Guangzhou and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

During the visit, Alkhorayef discussed with the Chinese officials and top company executives topics such as enhancing industrial and mining cooperation, knowledge transfers opportunities in the automotive industry, automation and smart manufacturing solutions, in addition to investment opportunities in the field of lithium and copper production and processing and attracting qualitative investments for strategic industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia.

The tour included a visit to the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Guangzhou, which was established in 1984 and is classified as one of the top ten high-tech parks in the world. He was briefed on Guangzhou’s experiences in the science and technology innovation sector, especially industrial innovations.

During his meeting with Chairman of Guangzhou Automotive Industry Group Co., Ltd. (GAC) the minister discussed opportunities for establishing a strategic partnership with the group and developing sustainable transportation solutions.

He also discussed with officials from Guangzhou Mino Equipment Company opportunities for cooperation in manufacturing high-tech cars.

He also visited Guangzhou Industrial Investment Group and discussed with the group's chairwoman enhancing cooperation in the industrial sector, especially in the field of smart equipment production.

He also met with the chairman of FOTON, a company specialized in the manufacture of commercial vehicles, including buses, light, medium and heavy trucks.

The minister participated in a round-table meeting, organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Guangdong Province, in the presence of a number of Chinese investors.

During his speech at the meeting, he emphasized Saudi Arabia’s keenness to attract Chinese companies to invest in its strategic industrial sectors, and to strengthen supply chains in those sectors, most notably cars, aircraft, food, medicines, machinery and equipment, and industries related to renewable energy.

He Stressed that Saudi Arabia welcomes Chinese investors and provides them with all incentives and capabilities, including developed industrial lands, industrial financing, and training of workers, in addition to preferring local products in government purchases.

Alkhorayef also met with the Mayor of Guangzhou and reviewed with him the strategic components that qualify Saudi Arabia to become a global destination for investment. He invited him to visit Saudi Arabia to see the development boom it is currently witnessing.

The minister stressed the strong relations between Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong, and the opportunities to develop cooperation in the industrial sector between the two sides.

The Minister of Industry held a series of bilateral meetings with heads and officials of a number of private sector institutions and companies in China, focusing on discussing opportunities to develop cooperation in the fields of mining, smart manufacturing solutions, advanced technologies, infrastructure development, and attracting investments to Saudi Arabia’s strategic sectors.

The minister held bilateral meetings with Chief Strategy Officer of Biwin, Chairman of Jiangxi Copper, CEO of Guangzhou HeyGears, Chairman of General Lithium Corporation, CEO of Huawei Mining, Oil & Gaz, and Chairman of Saudi Huawei.

In Hong Kong, Alkhorayef discussed, during bilateral meetings with government officials, enhancing cooperation in the industrial sector and joint investment opportunities in the field of automation, in line with the Future Factories Initiative launched by Saudi Arabia. He invited Hong Kong companies to invest in promising industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia.

In a meeting with the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Johnson Electric Group in Hong Kong, the minister discussed enhancing cooperation in the fields of innovation and digitization in the application industry.

The meeting also included an overview of Johnson Electric’s specialties and products.

His visit also included a tour of Hutchison Port, one of the busiest container ports in the world, in addition to a visit to Hong Kong International Terminals Limited, which operates 12 berths in the port.

During his visit to China, the minister was accompanied by Assistant Minister of Industry for Planning and Development Dr. Abdullah Al-Ahmari, CEO of National Center for Industrial Development Eng. Saleh Al-Salmi, and the CEO of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) Eng. Majed Al-Arqoubi.

The official visit of the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources to China comes as part of an economic tour of East Asia that includes China and Singapore, which began early this September, during which he headed a delegation from the Mineral Resources Industry System with the aim of strengthening bilateral ties, attracting qualitative investments to Saudi Arabia, and searching for mutual investment opportunities in the industrial sector.