RIYADH: More than 150 Chinese investors in the petrochemicals, plastics, and printing sectors are seeking strategic partnership opportunities with their Saudi counterparts, aiming to localize specialized industries and boost investment flows.

Over three days, Dammam is hosting a new edition of the Gulf 4P International Exhibition for Plastics, Printing, Packaging, and Petrochemicals at the Dhahran International Exhibitions Center. The exhibition continues its position as one of the largest specialized industrial and commercial platforms in the region, according to Al-Eqtisadiah. 

Following the exhibition’s inauguration, Hamad Homoud Al-Hammad, chairman of the National Contracting Committee at the Federation of Saudi Chambers, stated: “Through strategic support, the availability of raw materials, and the existence of infrastructure, Saudi Arabia has managed to become the largest plastic industry in the Middle East, supported by a consumer base both domestically and externally.”

Al-Hammad explained that estimates indicate that demand for plastic products is set to grow by more than $3 billion in the coming years, opening wide horizons for promising investment opportunities. 

He pointed out that the exhibition represents an opportunity for suppliers, investors, and manufacturers to gather to enhance partnership opportunities and exchange knowledge and technology, thanks to the broad participation from international and local companies. 

The exhibition also contributes to cementing Saudi Arabia’s position as a globally attractive destination for advanced industries, especially in the plastics, printing, and petrochemicals sectors.

Significant growth in sector-related markets

For his part, ‏Mshari Al-Kuwaiflie, Regional Director of MIE Events, the exhibition organizer, told Al-Eqtisadiah that the Chinese companies and factories participating in the exhibition are opening wide horizons for Saudi investors to build commercial and investment partnerships. 

They will be able to learn about the latest technologies in packaging, printing, plastic manufacturing, and petrochemicals, especially since the market in the Kingdom is witnessing accelerated growth in these sectors.

He clarified that the value of the packaging market in Saudi Arabia exceeded $2 billion in 2021, with expectations to reach $2.6 billion by 2027.

According to estimates from exhibition participants, the plastic packaging market is estimated at about $8.59 billion in 2025, poised to rise to more than $10 billion by 2030. The value of the printing market in 2023 reached about $1.435 billion, with expectations to exceed $1.871 billion by 2030.

‏Al-Kuwaiflie said: “The numbers demonstrate that there are promising and available investment opportunities that can form a solid foundation for launching commercial and investment partnerships between the participating Chinese companies and factories and Saudi companies, especially in sectors related to transformative industries amid a broad industrial transformation witnessed by Saudi Arabia, which is the largest in the Gulf in the printing, packaging, and plastics sectors.”

An international platform for manufacturers and suppliers

The exhibition, which witnessed participation from factories from Turkiye, India, and other countries, offers extensive displays of the latest industrial innovations and technologies in petrochemicals, plastics, and packaging, in addition to industrial equipment, construction and building sectors, and conditioning systems.

The exhibition’s program also includes business sessions and direct meetings between companies, buyers, and decision-makers, along with a dedicated B2B platform for coordinating meetings between investors and exhibitors.

This is with the participation of trade delegations from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, Asia, and Europe, aiming to build new international partnerships that contribute to enhancing a diversified economy based on knowledge and modern technologies, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.