Amman, Sept. 2 (Petra) -- The Energy and Mineral Resources Committee of the Lower House of Parliament on Wednesday called for expanding Chinese investment in Jordan, particularly in strategic energy and industrial projects, including green hydrogen, ammonia, silica, solar panel manufacturing and battery storage.
During a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Guo Wei at the Parliament, Committee Chair Ayman Abu Hanieh highlighted the strong Jordanian-Chinese relationship. He said the foundations established and strengthened by His Majesty King Abdullah II provide a basis for expanding economic and investment cooperation.
He stressed that Jordan places great importance on strengthening international cooperation amid the region's political and economic conditions, and welcomed China's support for Jordan's firm positions, foremost the Palestinian issue and the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He pointed to the importance of partnership with China in supporting peace and stability in the Middle East.
Abu Haniya raised the prospect of China becoming a strategic investment partner in ammonia, green hydrogen, silica, solar panel production and battery storage plants.
Committee members called for increased Chinese investment in Jordan, and for technology and expertise transfer, to help lower production costs and maximize the added value of national resources.
They called for drawing on China's advanced experience in the energy sector, particularly its shift from conventional to renewable sources, and benefiting from Chinese expertise in solar power, electric vehicles and energy storage in ways suited to Jordan's needs and capabilities.
The lawmakers praised China's industrial experience as a model worth emulating, calling for deeper cooperation, particularly in transferring expertise to build national skills and competencies.
The MPs pointed to the importance of expanding tourism cooperation with China and increasing Jordan's share of Chinese tourism, alongside benefiting from China's experience in developing tourist sites and facilities to strengthen the sector's contribution to the national economy.
They also stressed deepening cooperation in education and technical fields, saying Jordanian students, engineers and graduates should have the chance to benefit from advanced Chinese expertise and technology, especially as Jordan has focused in recent years on technical education, modern skills and digital transformation.
They pointed to the importance of Jordan's geographic location and its role in boosting cooperation within the Silk Road, saying the Kingdom's security, stability, infrastructure and qualified human resources make it capable of attracting more high-quality Chinese investment.
For his part, Guo said His Majesty's recent visit to China opened a new chapter in the strategic partnership between the two countries, building on the relationship established during the King's 2015 visit.
He highlighted the King's visits to Shanghai and Shenzhen during his latest trip to observe China's economic, technological and industrial development, before traveling to Beijing, describing the program as reflecting His Majesty's interest in learning from the Chinese experience and expanding bilateral cooperation.
The ambassador said the King also met Chinese business leaders, company executives and investors and expressed interest in attracting Chinese companies and investment to Jordan. The meetings with Chinese leadership addressed opportunities to expand cooperation in economic and investment, trade, tourism, education and health sectors.
Guo said China attaches importance to increasing its investments in Jordan, particularly as greater investment can help reduce the trade deficit between the two countries and support Jordan's economic development and the objectives of its Economic Modernization Vision.
//Petra// NQ
