Chinese state body lands US$54m Saudi surveying contract in latest sign of warming ties
- Agreement will open up new areas of cooperation between the two countries, according to the head of the China Geological Survey
- The kingdom is moving closer to Beijing at a time when the future course of its relations with the United States is uncertain
A state-run Chinese organisation has landed a US$54 million surveying contract in Saudi Arabia, bringing Beijing a step closer to a key energy supplier.
The deal, the largest of its kind, is the latest sign of warming relations between Beijing and Riyadh.
“It is the beginning of a great cooperative relationship between the two sides and will surely open up new cooperative areas for both countries,” said Zhong Ziran, president of China Geological Survey (CGS) in a video call during the signing ceremony on Sunday.
“We have full confidence in all-round China-Saudi cooperation on geosciences in the future,” said Zhong, according to a report from Saudi state media.
The Chinese contract totalled around US $54 million for the geochemical survey, the report said, and will be used to assess the distribution of mineral resources for future mining operations.
The contract is part of a six-year project to map and survey 600,000 square kilometres of the Arabian Shield, a region in the west of the country bordering the Red Sea, according to a report from the state-run Saudi Press Agency.