Emirates Shipping Line will introduce a new container service connecting China with Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia in November. Marketed as the China Red Sea Connector, the route will deploy four ships of approximately 2,500 TEU operating on a fortnightly schedule. The service will directly connect Shanghai, Ningbo, and Nansha with Sokhna, Aqaba, and Jeddah.
Chinese manufacturers are scaling up exports of desalination membranes, filtration machinery, and engineering services to countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. China exported more than $2 billion worth of water filtering and purifying equipment in 2025, driven by heavy domestic investment in water security. Gulf utilities are increasingly sourcing components from Chinese suppliers, with Saudi developer ACWA Power buying roughly 70 percent of its global water equipment from China.
UAE state-backed investments across Egyptian energy and port infrastructure are serving as a strategic hedge against transit disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Dubai's real GDP contracted 2.3% year-on-year in the first half of the year due to drops in trade and transport. The UAE continues building alternative maritime corridors through domestic pipelines, Khorfakkan, and Mediterranean ports in Egypt.
A joint venture between China's Sinohydro and Egypt's Elsewedy Electric has secured a $2.2 billion EPC contract for a 2.3-gigawatt gas-fired power plant in Saudi Arabia. The Rabigh 2 IPP expansion facility is backed by ACWA Power and Saudi Energy, with commercial operations planned for May 2029. Financing includes $2.58 billion in long-term debt backed by 14 lenders, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
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