The 34TH JEDDAH INTERNATIONAL BUILDING EXHIBITION (JIBEX)

Date: Apr 15^th - 17^th, 2025

Venue: Jeddah Center For Forums & Events

Organizer: KAC International Exhibition Group Limited

Exhibition Scope

1.Building Materials

Stone, ceramics, steel, aluminum profiles, ceramic tiles, flooring and carpets, artificial turf, construction panels, paving materials, wood, glass, adhesives, paints, wallpaper, and wall panel inlays.

2.Hardware and Tools

Steel pipes, sanitary ware, hardware accessories, doors/windows and fittings, valves, fasteners, wire mesh, hardware tools, power tools, adhesive agents, construction site protective gear, and labor protection supplies.

3.Furniture and Home Decoration

Indoor furniture, outdoor furniture, office furniture, interior decoration materials, garden/courtyard arrangements, home decorations, decorative textiles, artwork/paintings, and camping equipment.

4.Lighting and Electrical Fixtures

Indoor/outdoor lighting, wires and cables, LED displays

5.Kitchen and Bathroom

Faucets, water heaters, counter-tops, plumbing pipes, water/electric meters, kitchenware, toilets, bathroom cabinets, shower enclosures, and bathtubs.

6.Construction Machinery

Metal/glass processing equipment, construction machinery, and construction site facilities.

Project Introduction

JEDDAH INTERNATIONAL BUILDING EXHIBITION (JIBEX) has been successfully held for 33 editions so far. Over the years, it has always received extensive attention from professionals and extensive coverage from various media. Every year, the exhibition has become a grand purchasing event for building materials purchasers and related industry personnel in the Middle East. The previous session attracted a total of 32,828 professional audiences to visit and conduct business negotiations. The on-site transaction volume reached 83.28 million USD, and the intended transaction volume reached 317 million USD. The participating enterprises expressed great satisfaction with the exhibition's effect, and the renewal rate of the exhibition exceeded 35%.

About Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is situated on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia, covering approximately 70% of the peninsula's landmass. It is bordered by the Persian Gulf to the east and the Red Sea to the west, and shares land borders with Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen, and Egypt.

In 2023, the GDP reached 1.06 trillion US dollars, with a per capita GDP of 28,800 US dollars. The country achieved a real GDP growth rate of 8.7% for the year, the highest among the 17 nations in the global trillion-dollar GDP club. The Saudi riyal (SAR), the national currency, maintains a fixed exchange rate of 3.75 SAR per US dollar, providing stability and trade advantages.

Saudi Arabia ranks 41^st globally by population, with 30.66 million residents as of late 2023. The population is notably young: 70% are under 40 years old, and 46% are under 30, fostering a dynamic consumer base. The country ranks 11^th on the Global Retail Trade Index and accounts for 70% of total retail consumption in the Middle East. Its market comprises three distinct tiers: high-end, middle-tie and mass market.

The Saudi economy remains heavily reliant on hydrocarbon resources, holding the world’s largest proven oil reserves and ranking as the top oil producer. However, its manufacturing sector is underdeveloped, with 95% of non-oil goods imported. This creates strong economic complementation with China, a manufacturing powerhouse. China is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, primary export destination, and leading import source.

Market Business Opportunities

Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision Reform Plan

In recent years, with the rise of Saudi Arabia's third-generation leader, Salman Jr., the country has embarked on bold reforms in an effort to build a brand-new economy that can break away from its reliance on oil and is sustainable. Saudi Arabia aims to become the heart of the Arab and Muslim worlds, a world economic power for global investment, and a global hub connecting Asia, Europe and Africa in its future development. It has also announced the "Vision 2030 Plan". This vision plan encompasses goals in multiple fields, including infrastructure, energy, economy, society and culture. Saudi Arabia is transforming the global business landscape and attracting global traffic through huge investments.

In terms of infrastructure, Saudi Arabia is investing trillions of dollars to build super projects that have attracted worldwide attention, such as The Line, NEOM New City, Mukaab Building, Qiddiya Entertainment City, and the 1,000-meter-tall Kingdom Tower. In addition, there are currently a total of 167 hotels under construction in Saudi Arabia, with a total of 63,753 guest rooms. Meanwhile, commercial and residential buildings as well as supporting living facilities are also being constructed in large quantities. The large-scale infrastructure construction activities have brought about huge demand, and the demand for goods in markets including hardware and building materials, interior decoration, home appliances, and daily consumer goods has increased significantly. Moreover, with the increasingly close relations between China and Saudi Arabia in recent years, Saudi Arabia has gradually abandoned the previous import channels from Europe and the United States and turned to Chinese products that are of better quality and lower price. The large gap left by European and American products needs to be filled by more Chinese products. China has now become Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner, being its largest source of imports and export destination.

In the field of social culture, Saudi Arabia actively hosts world-class large-scale events and activities to enhance its global influence. In 2023, Saudi Arabia successfully hosted the world-class Formula One championship Saudi Grand Prix and the Saudi Club World Cup. In the future, Saudi Arabia will also host a series of major events such as the World Expo, the Asian Summer Games and the Asian Cup Football Tournament. The holding of these international events will attract travelers from all over the world, further enhancing the demand for consumer goods and the share of the retail market, and bringing huge business opportunities to the future market.

Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia and a port city on the Red Sea coast, is the location of the government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies of various countries. It has the largest port in Saudi Arabia and is an extremely important financial center in the country. At the same time, because Jeddah is only 70 kilometers away from the holy city of Mecca, a pilgrimage destination for 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, Jeddah has also become an important transit city and serves as the economic and trade center of Saudi Arabia. With the advancement of Saudi Arabia's reform and opening up, its trade prospects will surpass those of Dubai and become the largest trading market in the Middle East. Compared with the Dubai market, which has a small market volume and mainly focuses on low-price re-export, the domestic terminal market in Saudi Arabia has significant advantages such as a large volume and high prices, providing considerable profit guarantees for Chinese foreign trade enterprises.

Diplomatic Relations Between Saudi Arabia and China

1.Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

In December 2022, the President of the People's Republic of China paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia. During the visit, the two heads of state personally signed the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", agreeing to hold a meeting between the heads of state of the two countries every two years in rotation.

2.An important partner of the Belt and Road Initiative

Saudi Arabia is one of the earliest countries to support and participate in jointly building the "Belt and Road Initiative". In recent years, the "Belt and Road Initiative" has been deeply integrated with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, inviting an increasing number of Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of Saudi Arabia's diversified economic development.

3.The development of China-Saudi relations is marked by three notable trends: a surge in high-level diplomatic engagement, accelerated economic and trade collaboration, and flourishing cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Against the backdrop of the steady advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, Saudi Arabia has actively engaged with China's proposals. As strategic cooperative partners mutually recognized at the state level, the two countries maintain stable diplomatic relations characterized by frequent high-level interactions. In March 2023, through China's mediation, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a historic agreement to restore diplomatic ties. On March 29 of the same year, the Saudi cabinet approved its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, signaling deepened multilateral coordination.

4.Currency Swap Agreement Strengthens Financial Ties

In November 2023, the People's Bank of China and the Saudi Central Bank formalized a bilateral local currency swap agreement, elevating China-Saudi trade relations to a new phase and establishing a fresh milestone in economic cooperation. Guided by aligned national strategies, the two nations have forged comprehensive collaboration across military affairs, economic development, cultural programs, scientific innovation, and social initiatives. These efforts highlight the resilience of their strategic partnership and create robust institutional foundations for future cooperation. With sustained bilateral commitment, China-Saudi collaboration is poised to achieve greater depth and breadth in the years ahead.