Nanjing, January 30, 2026 (Xinhua) — Economic and trade ties between China and Middle Eastern nations have advanced steadily over the past year, with deeper practical collaboration unfolding across manufacturing, mutual investment, and green development. This progress highlights the vitality of economic partnership within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
In foreign trade, China’s manufacturing sector continues to expand its footprint in regional markets, marked by notable improvements in export structure and product quality. Chinese firms specializing in small electric appliances have successfully entered Middle Eastern markets by tailoring products to local consumer needs.
At the beginning of this year, Suzhou Grindy Electric Co., Ltd., based in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province in eastern China, exported 100,000 vacuum cleaners to Turkey, marking a strong start to its 2026 regional operations and reflecting growing local demand for Chinese-made small household appliances.
Simultaneously, Chinese exports have achieved significant milestones in advanced equipment. On January 8, a convoy of 3,000 luxury buses manufactured by King Long United Automotive Industry (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. departed for Algeria in a deal exceeding 1.5 billion yuan (with one U.S. dollar equivalent to approximately 7 yuan), making it the largest single bus export order in Chinese history.
On the investment front, China-Arab cooperation is gaining momentum as Arab capital increasingly flows into China, particularly in advanced manufacturing and industrial value chains. In November 2025, Taihang Changqing Automotive Safety Systems Co., Ltd. (Suzhou) signed an agreement with Dubai-based FFN Group to establish a joint venture. The new enterprise, focused on component manufacturing and global exports, is projected to achieve an annual output value of 6 billion yuan upon full operation.
In June of the previous year, the Saudi Investment and Business Center opened in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, aiming to strengthen collaboration between Chinese and Saudi firms in mutual investment, technological innovation, service trade, and cultural exchange. Currently, the China-Saudi International Industrial Cooperation Complex is under construction as a key platform for this partnership, with a total investment of 650 million yuan.
In sustainable development, cooperation between China and Middle Eastern countries is shifting toward technology exchange and joint innovation. For instance, Jiangsu Yuxin Technology Equipment Co., Ltd., a Chinese firm specializing in equipment for recycling used tires, partnered with Turkey’s Kousin Group to build a used tire processing plant in Iraq. Utilizing independently developed recycling technologies, the project aims to achieve zero chemical pollutant emissions.
Moreover, bilateral cooperation in green innovation has yielded productive outcomes. In Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, the Gaoshuqing Road, paved with recycled plastic replacing 20 percent of asphalt and 50 percent of aggregate, has become an innovative model of China-Saudi scientific and technological collaboration.
Funded by the Non-Metallic Materials Innovation Center established jointly by Saudi Aramco and the Chinese Academy of Building Materials, the project benefited from over a year of research and development. Nanjing Tech University successfully overcame technical challenges, enabling its realization.
These examples reflect a broader trend toward deepening cooperation grounded in innovation, quality, and sustainability. As political and economic coordination strengthens, China’s economic and trade collaboration with Arab and Middle Eastern nations is expected to expand further, contributing to sustainable development, regional stability, and balanced global economic growth.
— news from Xinhua