Interview: Boao Forum's Riyadh conference opens new avenues for cooperation, says CEO of Saudi chemical giant

Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, CEO of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of BFA Riyadh Conference 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)

RIYADH, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, CEO of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and a board member of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), said the BFA serves as an important platform that brings together governments, enterprises, and scholars, creating more opportunities for cooperation and helping advance common development.

Al-Fageeh made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the BFA Riyadh Conference 2025, held from Wednesday to Thursday in the Saudi capital.

Co-hosted by the BFA and SABIC, the event brought together more than 300 participants from over 10 countries, regions, and international organizations. Discussions focused on key topics including regional economic resilience, energy transition, and sustainable development.

Al-Fageeh said the second edition of the BFA Riyadh Conference offers Asian partners a key opportunity to learn about investment prospects in the kingdom and to deepen cooperation across the region.

He noted that Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions in the global economy and a market that warrants close attention. In the petrochemical sector, where SABIC operates, growth in Asia has been particularly strong.

On cooperation with China, Al-Fageeh stressed that SABIC has been active in the Chinese market for more than four decades, making it one of the earliest major multinational companies to enter China. Today, the company continues to deepen cooperation and expand investment through various partnerships.

"We partnered with Sinopec on one of the largest petrochemical complexes in Tianjin," he said. "We are now also constructing another of the largest petrochemical complexes in Fujian."

He emphasized that SABIC's cooperation with China goes far beyond simple trade, describing it as a collaborative partnership involving knowledge exchange, technology sharing, joint innovation, and jointly delivering solutions to the market.

Al-Fageeh added that China has continued to improve its business environment while maintaining steady market growth. "In China, we have become an important partner, and we will continue to actively participate in China's economic development in the future."