Ambassador Featured in Saudi Media

In an interview with Saudi newspapers Riyadh Daily (利雅得報) and Al-Eqtisadiah (經濟報) in April 2024, outgoing Chinese Ambassador Chen Weiqing (陳偉慶) characterized bilateral relations as “full of spring’s new greenery on the ancient Silk Road” (丝路古道满眼生机，中沙关系充满春的新绿). He praised Saudi’s social and economic diversification efforts under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s leadership. The ambassador highlighted cooperation through China’s Belt and Road Initiative (一帶一路) and Saudi’s Vision 2030, pointing to Chinese companies’ involvement in major Saudi projects including NEOM, a planned futuristic city, and the Red Sea Project, a regenerative tourism initiative. Chen, who served five years in the position from 2019-2024, stated that bilateral trade had “increased by nearly 40 percent” during his tenure, from $780 billion in 2019 to over $1 trillion in 2023, and expressed his desire to return in 2030 to “witness the realization of Vision 2030.” The interviews featured extensive Chinese Communist Party terminology, including references to the “China-Arab community of shared destiny for the new era” (面向新時代的中阿命運共同體) and the “eight major joint actions” (八大共同行動) covering development, food security, health, green innovation, energy security, intercultural dialogue, youth empowerment, and security stability.