Officials with petrochemical major Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) hosted senior Chinese official He Lifeng (vice party secretary of the Tianjin city government) in early November at its headquarters in Riyadh, offering what it said was a strong sign of support for its growing China business profile.

Mohamed Al-Mady, SABIC CEO, received Mr. He as well as his delegation, which included Xu Hongxing, president of the SINOPEC SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical Co. venture.The Chinese dignitaries watched a corporate film and a presentation, and attended a lunch reception hosted in their honor.

Expressing his views on the visit, Mr. Al-Mady said that it reflects SABIC’s strong commitment to the Chinese market.

“SABIC has embarked on a series of growth initiatives in China, including a new partnership with SINOPEC to build a polycarbonate plant in Tianjin and a new research center in Shanghai,” Mr. Al-Mady said.

The visit comes on the heels of two recent delegations from China to SABIC. The first was headed by Zhang Gaoli, a member of the central committee political bureau with the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of CPC Tianjin Municipal. The second delegation was led by Li Yongwu, chairman of China Petroleum and the Chemical Industry Federation.

Mr. He was the party secretary of Fuzhou city and Xiamen before being promoted to his current post. He was also the Xiamen city director of treasury, and later vice mayor. SABIC has 17 offices in China, three manufacturing plants in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin, and one technology and innovation center in Shanghai. It employs over 900 staff members.

“We are happy to receive such dignitaries from China’s expanding chemical industry,” Mr. Al-Mady said. “This reflects our rapidly growing presence in China and our ambition to be the preferred petrochemical supplier in this country.” HP

A visiting Chinese delegation met with   SABIC executives in Saudi Arabia.

The meeting was part of an effort to show   China’s growing business profile in Saudi   Arabia.