Volume of Saudi-Chinese Trade Exchange Amounts to $320Bln

The FSC issued an economic report on the occasion of the Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
The FSC issued an economic report on the occasion of the Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
TT

Volume of Saudi-Chinese Trade Exchange Amounts to $320Bln

The FSC issued an economic report on the occasion of the Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
The FSC issued an economic report on the occasion of the Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

The Federation of Saudi Chambers (FSC) said the volume of trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and China between 2017 and 2021 amounted to SAR1.2 trillion ($320 billion).

This figure reflects the strength and durability of the strategic economic partnership and the diversity and multiplicity of trade and investment opportunities in the two countries.

The FSC issued an economic report on the occasion of the Chinese president’s visit to the Kingdom at the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

It pointed out that the growing bilateral economic ties provide wide opportunities for economic cooperation and establish trade and investment partnerships between the business sectors of the two countries.

The report underlined the opportunities for economic integration between Riyadh and Beijing in light of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Silk Road, which are consistent in many of their aspects with the Kingdom Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia seeks to benefit from its strategic location that connects three continents and become a global logistical hub, which enhances opportunities for cooperation and partnership between the two sides and helps accelerate the pace of development and its sustainability.

The report further referred to the steady growth in the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, which amounted to SAR304.3 billion in 2021, compared to SAR221.6 billion in 2020, up 37%.

Also in 2021, Saudi exports to China increased by 59% and imports went up by 12%, the report showed.

China exports to the Kingdom electrical appliances, equipment, heavy machinery, furniture, vehicles, clothing, plastics, iron and steel, ceramic products, rubber and ready-made construction equipment.

Meanwhile, oil, chemical industries, plastics and their products, and rubber are the most prominent Saudi commodities exported to China.



Oil Falls on Demand Growth Concerns, Robust Dollar

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
TT

Oil Falls on Demand Growth Concerns, Robust Dollar

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices fell on Friday on worries about demand growth in 2025, especially in top crude importer China, putting global oil benchmarks on track to end the week down nearly 3%.
Brent crude futures fell by 33 cents, or 0.45%, to $72.55 a barrel by 0730 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased 32 cents, or 0.46%, to $69.06 per barrel, Reuters said.
Chinese state-owned refiner Sinopec said in its annual energy outlook released on Thursday that China's crude imports could peak as soon as 2025 and the country's oil consumption would peak by 2027 as diesel and gasoline demand weaken.
"Benchmark crude prices are in a prolonged consolidation phase as the market heads towards the year-end weighed by uncertainty in oil demand growth," said Emril Jamil, senior research specialist at LSEG.
He added that OPEC+ would require supply discipline to perk up prices and soothe jittery market nerves over continuous revisions of its demand growth outlook. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, together called OPEC+, recently cut its growth forecast for 2024 global oil demand for a fifth straight month.
Meanwhile, the dollar's climb to a two-year high also weighed on oil prices, after the Federal Reserve flagged it would be cautious about cutting interest rates in 2025.
A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies, while a slower pace of rate cuts could dampen economic growth and trim oil demand.
JPMorgan sees the oil market moving from balance in 2024 to a surplus of 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2025, as the bank forecasts non-OPEC+ supply increasing by 1.8 million bpd in 2025 and OPEC output remaining at current levels.
In a move that could pare supply, G7 countries are considering ways to tighten the price cap on Russian oil, such as with an outright ban or by lowering the price threshold, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Russia has circumvented the $60 per barrel cap imposed in 2022 using its "shadow fleet" of ships, which the EU and Britain have targeted with further sanctions in recent days.