China and Saudi Arabia
Energy, economic diversification and political dialogue link the two countries. The relationship also has a regional dimension: Beijing participated in the agreement to restore Saudi–Iranian relations. Industrial and diplomatic cooperation does not amount to a mutual defence alliance.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Diplomatic relations and strategic partnership
The December 2025 release dates the start of diplomatic relations to 1990 and the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership to 2016.
Energy and economic diversification
The same document includes energy cooperation, industry and initiatives related to Vision 2030.
Regional security in the April conversation
The Chinese communication of 20 April 2026 records a conversation between Xi Jinping and Mohammed bin Salman on the regional situation.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 108,068.71 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: China to Saudi Arabia | 53,440.34 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: Saudi Arabia to China | 54,628.37 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: China to Saudi Arabia | ||
| Export share: Saudi Arabia to China | ||
| Investment stock: China in Saudi Arabia | ||
| Investment stock: Saudi Arabia in China |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / CHN · Goods, CHN reporter, UN Comtrade TOTAL aggregate, full year. The reporter's valuation and coverage are retained: imports normally CIF and exports FOB; no addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: China to Saudi Arabia
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / CHN · Goods, CHN reporter, UN Comtrade TOTAL aggregate, full year. The reporter's valuation and coverage are retained: imports normally CIF and exports FOB; no addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: Saudi Arabia to China
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / CHN · Goods, CHN reporter, UN Comtrade TOTAL aggregate, full year. The reporter's valuation and coverage are retained: imports normally CIF and exports FOB; no addition of mirror reports.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | China | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 19.5 trillion USD2025 · WB | 1.28 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 13,861.97 USD2025 · WB | 34,536.66 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 4.96 %2025 · WB | 4.5 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 1.4 %2026-09-24 · PBoC | 4.5 %2026-09-16 · SAMA |
| Inflation · annual average | 0.06 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 2.08 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 0.8 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · NBS China | 1.8 %Headline CPI · 2026-08 · year-on-year · SAMA / GASTAT |
| Unemployment | 4.62 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.04 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -7.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -5.8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 99.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 31.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 3.77 %2025 · WB | -2.56 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 1,406,585,0002025 · WB | 36,973,5552025 · WB |
| Area | 9,562,910 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 2,149,690 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDChina: 2025 · World BankSaudi Arabia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personChina: 2025 · World BankSaudi Arabia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)China: 2025 · World BankSaudi Arabia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)China: 2026-09-24 · PBoC: 7-day reverse repo · People’s Bank of China · Published: 2026-09-24 · Rate of the official operation consulted, not the mortgage LPR or the PSL lending rate. Subsequent operations with zero volume are not converted into a 0% interest rate.Saudi Arabia: 2026-09-16 · Repo rate; not reverse repo (4.00%) · SAMA · Official central-bank decision; not a commercial lending rate or a bill yield.
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)China: 2025 · Average annual CPI change (%) · World BankSaudi Arabia: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedChina: 2026-08 · Headline CPI change relative to the same month of the previous year (%) · National Bureau of Statistics of China · Published: 2026-09-09 · National headline year-on-year CPI, not monthly inflation or an annual average.Saudi Arabia: 2026-08 · Year-on-year inflation; official SAMA / GASTAT indicator · SAMA / GASTAT · August 2026 indicator verified in SAMA's indexed version. The dynamic homepage does not expose the value in HTML without JavaScript; publication date unavailable. · Alternative official source; verified 2026-10-07
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionChina: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Saudi Arabia: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, % of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Saudi Arabia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Saudi Arabia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPChina: 2025 · World BankSaudi Arabia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Population
- PeopleChina: 2025 · World BankSaudi Arabia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query. Extrapolated assuming the same growth rate as the previous year.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceChina: 2023 · Total area including inland waters; territorial coverage of the source · World Bank · FAOSaudi Arabia: 2023 · World Bank / FAO · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
China to Saudi Arabia
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Saudi Arabia to China
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
The documented visa facilitation covers official passport categories; it is not presented as general unrestricted entry for tourists. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from China living in Saudi Arabia | ||
| Residents from Saudi Arabia living in China | ||
| Study and training: China in Saudi Arabia | ||
| Study and training: Saudi Arabia in China | ||
| Academic stays: China in Saudi Arabia | ||
| Academic stays: Saudi Arabia in China | ||
| Travel: China to Saudi Arabia | ||
| Travel: Saudi Arabia to China |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Diplomatic relations and strategic partnership
The December 2025 release dates the start of diplomatic relations to 1990 and the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership to 2016. The bilateral mechanism includes a high-level political subcommittee. These institutions provide continuity for negotiating different matters. The partnership is not presented as a collective defence treaty: its scope must be examined through specific instruments, not inferred from its diplomatic designation. [1]
Energy and economic diversification
The same document includes energy cooperation, industry and initiatives related to Vision 2030. Energy supplies and productive projects belong to different areas: selling oil is not equivalent to developing an industrial facility or transferring technology. Customs statistics in the table measure goods for one year; agreements and business commitments require additional follow-up to establish what has actually been built or invested. [1]
The 2023 Saudi–Iranian agreement
The trilateral Beijing statement announced the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their missions. China participated in that dialogue process. The document provides a date and specific commitments; it does not mean Beijing assumes all of Saudi Arabia's security obligations or that differences between Riyadh and Tehran disappear. The China–Saudi Arabia relationship thus has diplomatic effects on third countries. [3]
Travel facilitation with limited coverage
The December release records a visa agreement for holders of diplomatic, service and special passports. That coverage matters: it is not equivalent to a general exemption for tourists from both countries. Official mobility, business travel and ordinary tourism can follow different rules. Cultural and people-to-people cooperation in the agenda does not by itself provide counts of all residents or students either. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Regional security in the April conversation
The Chinese communication of 20 April 2026 records a conversation between Xi Jinping and Mohammed bin Salman on the regional situation. Their positions are attributed to the leaders and the document publishing them. A diplomatic conversation identifies priorities and political contact, but does not by itself verify a permanent resolution of conflicts or implementation of projects. It is distinguished from annual trade data and the 2023 trilateral agreement. [2]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 108,068.71 million USD. Shipments from China to Saudi Arabia were 53,440.34 million USD, and those in the opposite direction were 54,628.37 million USD. A single reporter is used for both directions. The difference between those flows describes that source's goods balance, not the entire economic balance: services, subsidiary activity and investment have independent measures. [4]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Visit and joint statement of December 2025
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Document: 2025-12 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Conversation between Xi and Mohammed bin Salman
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Document: 2026-04-20 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Beijing trilateral declaration
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China · Institutional source · Document: 2023-03-10 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Annual TOTAL X/M; reporter=156; partners=276,250,360,704,608,586,682; 2025; 12 returned records
UN Comtrade / CHN · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07