On October 13th local time, Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh Al-Jasser, announced in Riyadh the construction of a 4-square-kilometer Saudi-China Special Economic Zone within King Salman International Airport. The economic zone will be jointly developed by King Salman International Airport and the international investment institution, Eeda Capital, with a focus on developing manufacturing, logistics, and trade industries to promote economic and trade cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China.

On the same day, with the support of Saudi King Salman, the first Global Logistics Forum was held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, attracting more than ten thousand government and business guests from over 30 countries. The forum was hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services and aimed to promote a new layout for global trade and supply chains. In his opening speech, Al-Jasser stated that Saudi Arabia is committed to becoming a global logistics powerhouse, which is also an important goal of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030."

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"Saudi Arabia has always been one of the key hubs of global trade. Today, through high-level projects such as King Salman International Airport and the expanding railway network, we are once again leading the construction of cutting-edge global infrastructure. These projects are key to achieving the 'Vision 2030' and have already invested 200 billion Saudi Riyals, with a plan to invest more than 1 trillion Saudi Riyals by 2050. With strategic cooperation between the public and private sectors, we are promoting Saudi Arabia to become an innovation center in various industries and a global logistics powerhouse," said Al-Jasser.

King Salman International Airport is a national infrastructure construction project announced by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in August last year. The airport covers an area of 57 square kilometers, with six parallel runways, and is equipped with residential, entertainment, and logistics functional areas, aiming to become one of the world's largest airports. It is expected that by 2050, the airport will receive 185 million passengers annually and handle more than 3.5 million tons of cargo annually,有望 becoming a core hub of global logistics and tourism networks.

The Saudi-China Special Economic Zone will be established within King Salman International Airport, relying on efficient logistics infrastructure to achieve integration of key links in the supply chain such as production, processing, and manufacturing, and to promote further international trade cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China. It is reported that the economic zone is expected to start construction in 2025, planned to cover an area of 4 square kilometers, and include three major functional areas: the logistics/light industry park to attract multinational companies to settle, promote the establishment and improvement of local supply chains in Saudi Arabia, and enhance local industrial capacity; the international trade and commerce park to provide one-stop services for enterprises settled in the park, simplify the settlement process, reduce operational costs, and provide trade convenience; the living support area to provide one-stop living convenience facilities and services for employees and their families of enterprises settled in the park.

Marco Mejia, acting CEO of King Salman International Airport Development Company, said that the construction of the Saudi-China Special Economic Zone is an important step in helping King Salman International Airport achieve the vision of becoming an international logistics hub, which will greatly improve the level of logistics infrastructure construction and operational efficiency of the airport, and promote further growth of the local economy and foreign trade in Saudi Arabia.

Li Jinji, founding and managing partner of Eeda Capital, said that building this platform is one of the core goals of Eeda's seven-year deep cultivation in Saudi Arabia. Relying on the superior geographical location and strategic positioning of King Salman International Airport, it is believed that the park will fully release the cross-border trade potential of Saudi Arabia in the future, and help the rapid development of regional logistics and e-commerce industries.

Eeda Capital said in an announcement that the Saudi-China Special Economic Zone aims to become an important platform for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries and China in the fields of economy, trade, technology, and more. The economic zone is committed to creating a comprehensive service system covering logistics and supply chain solutions, reducing the threshold for Chinese enterprises to settle in Saudi Arabia and opening up the Saudi market; through cluster-type industrial settlement, forming economies of scale. By optimizing logistics and supply chains in the Middle East, it helps Chinese enterprises better leverage their advantages in logistics and industrial chains.

Eeda Capital is an international investment institution focusing on cross-border investments between Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, supported by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), headquartered in Riyadh, and has been operating in Saudi Arabia since 2019. It is the first investment institution to invest in cross-border investments between Saudi Arabia and China.