BYD Americas CEO hails Middle East as ‘homeland for innovation’

BYD has accelerated its expansion of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids across the Middle East and North Africa region, with a strong focus on Gulf Cooperation Council countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. (AFP/File)
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Updated 21 January 2026
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BYD Americas CEO hails Middle East as ‘homeland for innovation’

  • In an interview on the sidelines of Davos, Stella Li highlighted the region’s openness to new technologies and opportunities for growth

DAVOS: BYD Americas CEO Stella Li described the Middle East as a “homeland for innovation” during an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

The executive of the Chinese electric vehicle giant highlighted the region’s openness to new technologies and opportunities for growth.

“The people (are) very open. And then from the government, from everybody there, they are open to enjoy the technology,” she said.

BYD has accelerated its expansion of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids across the Middle East and North Africa region, with a strong focus on Gulf Cooperation Council countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

GCC EV markets, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, rank among the world’s fastest-growing. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has been aggressively investing in the EV sector, backing Lucid Motors, launching its brand Ceer, and supporting charging infrastructure development.

However, EVs still account for just over 1 percent of total car sales, as high costs, limited charging infrastructure, and extreme weather remain challenges.

In summer 2025, BYD announced it was aiming to triple its Saudi footprint following Tesla’s entry, targeting 5,000 EV sales and 10 showrooms by late 2026.

“We commit a lot of investment there (in the region),” Li noted, adding that the company is building a robust dealer network and introducing cutting-edge technology.

Discussing growth plans, she envisioned Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East as a potential “dreamland” for innovation — what she described as a regional “Silicon Valley.” 

Talking about the EV ambitions of the Saudi government, she said: “If they set up (a) target, they will make (it) happen. Then they need a technology company like us to support their … 2030 Vision.”


Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum approves roadmap for cooperation in promising sectors

Updated 21 January 2026
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Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum approves roadmap for cooperation in promising sectors

RIYADH: The Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Jordan Chamber of Commerce organized on Jan. 21 the Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum at the FSC’s headquarters in Riyadh, with participation from around 200 companies and investors.

The event aimed to showcase available investment opportunities, highlight projects, and introduce the business environment and investment incentives in both countries.

Emad Sadad Al-Fakhri, vice president of the FSC, said economic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Jordan is witnessing significant growth, supported by high-level official visits and delegation exchanges, adding that this cooperation has helped expand partnerships across various sectors.

Al-Fakhri noted that Saudi Arabia is Jordan’s leading Arab trading partner and its third-largest global partner, with trade exceeding $5 billion and mutual investments surpassing $24 billion as of 2024.

He highlighted the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 in empowering the private sector, promoting trade and investment, and providing an attractive business environment.

Abdulrahman Al-Thubaity, chairman of the Saudi-Jordanian Business Council, described the economic partnership between the two countries as strong, rooted in fraternal ties and a shared vision for long-term integration.

Al-Thubaity emphasized the need to move from traditional opportunities toward deeper, more sustainable integration, with active participation from both the public and private sectors.

He added that the council works through specialized committees to develop practical initiatives, focusing on logistics connectivity and port integration, knowledge-based development in the phosphate sector, and regional reconstruction programs. He further described the forum as a platform to translate strategic visions into actionable partnerships.

Chairman of the JCC, Khalil El-Haj Tawfiq, said Vision 2030 is a source of pride for its transformative economic achievements, expressing the Jordanian private sector’s eagerness to turn fraternal relations into tangible programs and projects.

He noted that Saudi exports to Jordan are roughly five times higher than Jordanian exports, highlighting promising opportunities for industrial integration.

He also said the participation of Jordan’s largest economic delegation reflects the Jordanian leadership’s guidance to strengthen joint work and build effective strategic partnerships.

Haitham Abu Al-Foul, Jordan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the Saudi-Jordanian Business Forum provides an important institutional framework to enhance economic, trade, and investment cooperation, emphasizing the deep fraternal relations between the two countries, supported by their leadership.

Al-Foul added that Vision 2030 has opened broad investment horizons in strategic sectors, while Jordan offers an attractive investment environment supported by trade agreements, a strategic location, and skilled human capital.

He also called for moving toward the practical implementation of joint projects with a clear roadmap.

The forum featured meetings of the Saudi-Jordanian Joint Business Council and the signing of five agreements spanning multiple sectors. It also hosted bilateral discussions between Saudi and Jordanian company representatives to foster commercial and investment partnerships.

Specialized meetings were held for the sectoral committees of the Joint Business Council to develop a roadmap for cooperation across a wide range of promising sectors. Discussions covered agriculture and food security, industry, and mining, as well as energy, among additional sectors. 

The meetings also addressed reconstruction and infrastructure, tourism and hospitality, investment and trade, as well as franchising.

The participating Jordanian economic delegation is the largest of its kind, comprising representatives from commercial, service, industrial, and agricultural sectors, including heads of chambers from across Jordan’s governorates, economic sector representatives, union leaders, and prominent Jordanian businesspeople and investors.