Wider Sino-Saudi cooperation in innovation, technology sought

Saudi-Chinese relations will be further enhanced under Vision 2030, King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) President Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, said in a statement.

Prince Turki's statement was sent to Arab News from Beijing, where he attended the G-20 Science, Technology and Innovation Ministers’ Meeting this week.
The meeting was a follow-up to one held by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, in Beijing in September.
In his speech as head of the delegation, the prince said that the Kingdom views innovation as a key to develop talent, technology, infrastructure, investment, institutions and programs needed to take the country forward in a balanced manner.
Such features, he said, could promote innovative projects, enhance patent and marketing programs, set up incubators, produce accelerators for ownership programs for small and medium enterprises and help set up industrial centers.
During his meeting with Wan Gang, Chinese minister of science and technology, the prince stressed the importance of boosting cooperation between the two countries in various promising areas such as water, energy and materials, biotechnology, space and aviation technologies, and the need to expand this cooperation significantly to include the areas of innovation, technology incubators, and the creation of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the two countries.
KACST recently set up the Saudi-Chinese Center for technology transfer to promote small- and medium-sized enterprises in accordance with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Program 2020.
Earlier this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia and signed several bilateral agreements to launch a new phase in relations between the two countries. Fourteen cooperation agreements were signed in different fields, including the economic belt and Silk Road, nuclear and renewable energy, combating terrorism and culture and industry.
China and the Kingdom agree on the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries and are aligned in their positions on major international and regional issues.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and the largest trading partner of China, while China is also the largest trading partner of the Kingdom.

Source: Arab News