Saudi Aramco is nearing the award of an EPC contract for the fifth phase of the Jafurah unconventional shale gas expansion. China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation has emerged as the leading contender for the package. The phase includes building three gas compression stations, each with a daily capacity of 200 million cubic feet.
China's outbound direct investment into the UAE reached $2.6 billion, more than tripling from the previous reporting year, according to the UAE-China Chamber of Commerce. Bilateral non-oil trade surpassed $100 billion as Chinese financial institutions expanded their presence in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Multiple Chinese energy companies and healthcare delegations also advanced bilateral commercial engagements.
Arab nations including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are accelerating institutional and educational cooperation with China under their long-term development strategies. Regional governments are supporting Chinese language departments, research centers, and exchange initiatives to facilitate bilateral investment and trade. Experts report that Arab institutions are increasingly studying China's economic and modernization models to support domestic economic diversification.
Chinese state contractor Sinopec has completed over 80% of construction on sections six and seven of Saudi Arabia's National Natural Gas Pipeline Network Phase III Project. The contractor has welded more than 678 kilometers of large-diameter pipeline using Chinese-made automated welding and intelligent equipment. Once finished, the 700-kilometer desert route will supply natural gas to King Abdullah Economic City and multiple power stations.
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