Amman, Sept. 14 (Petra) -- Investment, exports and tourism are emerging as the main pillars of a broader economic partnership with China following the recent Royal visit, as the Kingdom looks to deepen commercial ties with the world’s second-largest economy and attract a larger share of Chinese investment.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yarub Qudah said Monday the visit marked an important economic step in strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, opening new prospects for trade, investment and tourism in line with efforts to diversify markets and attract high-value foreign direct investment.
Speaking at the Jordan Businessmen Association’s regular morning business meeting, Qudah said China’s position as one of the world’s largest sources of outbound investment makes it an important partner for the Kingdom in the coming period.
Economic discussions during the visit centered on two priorities: bringing more Chinese investment into the local economy and expanding Jordanian exports to the Chinese market, particularly in sectors where domestic producers have competitive advantages and growth potential.
The government has since formed a national team bringing together relevant agencies to follow up on the meetings and agreements reached during the visit. The team is in direct contact with Chinese companies that participated in the talks to advance technical discussions, facilitate investment procedures and explore partnerships with local businesses.
Tourism represents another area where the Kingdom is seeking to expand its economic engagement with China, given the scale of the Chinese outbound travel market.
Qudah said measures are being taken to make the local tourism market more accessible to Chinese visitors, including providing Chinese-language promotional content on digital platforms and training tourism-sector employees in the Chinese language.
Work is also underway to introduce widely used Chinese digital payment systems, including WeChat Pay and Alipay, while plans for direct Royal Jordanian flights to China are intended to improve connectivity for both tourism and business.
The government is also preparing tourism promotion activities aimed specifically at the Chinese market.
Discussions during the Royal visit included Trip.com, one of China’s largest travel platforms, which is expected to send representatives to the Kingdom to examine potential cooperation and ways to promote its tourism destinations to Chinese travelers.
Qudah said realizing the economic potential of the visit would depend on close cooperation between the public and private sectors. The government, he added, is responsible for creating a supportive investment environment, simplifying procedures and improving market access, while businesses must translate those opportunities into projects and commercial partnerships.
Jordan Businessmen Association President Ayman Al-Alawneh said deeper engagement with China could broaden cooperation across manufacturing, energy, technology, innovation, transport and logistics.
He said the relationship also offers opportunities for local companies to expand into Asian markets, attract Chinese capital and establish joint industrial projects that draw on Chinese technology and expertise to develop domestic manufacturing and increase the value added of local products.
The Kingdom’s geographic position and network of trade agreements could also provide Chinese investors with a base for production and exports to regional and international markets, Al-Alawneh said.
He called for economic relations with China to develop beyond conventional merchandise trade toward investment, joint manufacturing, technology and knowledge transfer, alongside efforts to increase bilateral trade.
//Petra// RZ
