On October 22nd, the China-GCC Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum kicked off in Guangzhou, with the attendance and speeches of prominent political figures from Arab countries, including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. The forum, focusing on key areas of China-GCC economic and trade cooperation, also held two sub-forums on green development and the digital economy, as well as industrial investment and financial cooperation.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), officially known as the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, is the primary political and economic organization in the Gulf region. Established in 1981 and headquartered in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, it comprises six member states: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain.

As China's recent bilateral cooperation with Gulf countries under the Belt and Road Initiative has rapidly developed, the Gulf countries have become a hotbed for China's foreign economic and trade cooperation. In 2022, the Gulf countries became China's seventh-largest trading partner, while China has surpassed the European Union as the Gulf countries' largest trading partner since 2018.

At the High-level Forum on Digital Economy of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the "Beijing Initiative on the Belt and Road International Digital Economy Cooperation" proposed 20 consensuses to further deepen international cooperation in the digital economy. On October 22nd, the sub-forum on green development and the digital economy of the China-GCC Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was held in Guangzhou.

Why are Gulf countries able to attract the attention of Chinese companies? According to the "Transforming Middle East Economies" report released by KPMG China, the GCC region boasts a total population of over 60 million with a total economy of 2.1 trillion US dollars. Its per capita GDP reaches 34,000 US dollars, about three times the global average per capita GDP (11,000 US dollars) and higher than the average level of emerging market economies (14,000 US dollars).

"The GCC is an important partner for China in the Middle East and a crucial platform for bilateral cooperation," said Lv Yunhe, Executive Vice President and General Manager of ACWA Power. Saudi Arabia is an important country in the Gulf region."Our company, which has established investment firms in China, plans to establish technology research and development centers and participate in the construction and upgrading of China's industrial chain system in the fields of green hydrogen, new energy, and seawater desalination. We aim to strengthen the cooperation between the entire industry chain and China."

In recent years, the Gulf countries have been emphasizing the digital economy as a crucial aspect of their development. A significant number of Chinese companies are expanding their presence in the region, particularly in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other related fields. Moreover, there is enormous potential for Chinese firms to invest in the Gulf countries' industries and finance sectors. According to data, Chinese equity investment funds have participated in equity investment projects for 17 companies in the Gulf region since 2018, with the majority of investments concentrated in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Information technology and financial services are the primary sectors that have attracted Chinese investment.

海湾六国政要齐聚广州共商合作

10月22日，中国—海合会经贸合作论坛在广州开幕，阿曼、阿联酋、巴林、沙特、卡塔尔、科威特等海合会成员国政要出席并发言。围绕中海经贸合作的重点领域，论坛同时举行了绿色发展和数字经济论坛、产业投资和金融合作论坛两个分论坛。

海合会，全称“海湾阿拉伯国家合作委员会”，是海湾地区最主要的政治经济组织，成立于1981年，总部设在沙特首都利雅得，成员国包括沙特、阿联酋、卡塔尔、科威特、阿曼、巴林六国。

近年来，中国与海湾国家在“一带一路”倡议下的双边合作发展迅速，海湾国家正在成为中国对外经贸合作的热土。2022年，海湾国家成为中国第七大贸易伙伴；而中国自2018年开始就超过欧盟成为海湾国家第一大贸易伙伴。　　

日前，在第三届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛数字经济高级别论坛上，《“一带一路”数字经济国际合作北京倡议》提出进一步深化数字经济国际合作的20项共识。10月22日，中国—海合会经贸合作论坛绿色发展和数字经济分论坛在穗举行。

海湾国家为何能够吸引中国企业的目光？毕马威中国发布的《转型中的中东经济》报告显示，海合会地区总人口超过6000万，经济总量达到2.1万亿美元。其人均GDP达到3.4万美元，约为世界人均GDP（1.1万美元）的3倍，也高于新兴市场经济体的平均水平（1.4万美元）。

“海合会是中国在中东地区的重要合作伙伴，也是十分重要的双向合作平台。”沙特国际电力和水务公司集团执行副总裁兼中国公司总经理吕云鹤表示，沙特是海湾地区的重要国家， “我们公司已在中国建立投资公司，将设立技术研发中心，在绿氢、新能源和海水淡化等领域参与中国产业链体系建设和升级，加强与中国的全产业链合作。”

近年来，数字经济成为海湾国家谋求新发展的重要方向。在云计算、人工智能等领域，一批批中国企业正在涌入海湾。同时，中国企业在海方国家进行产业投资、联动金融合作大有可为。据统计，2018年以来中国股权投资基金参与了海湾地区17家企业的股权投资项目，投资主要分布在阿联酋和沙特，投资行业领域主要集中在信息技术和金融服务业。

文、图｜记者 孙绮曼 严锦程 实习生 郑泳丹
翻译｜陈萱
责编 | 王瑜瑛