The GCC-China Momentum: Opportunities for Those Investing in Communications

The GCC-China Momentum: Opportunities for Those Investing in Communications

August 2025

By Bahjat Homsi. Bahjat is the General Manager of Sandpiper UAE and has deep expertise within corporate reputation management and government communications, with over 20 years of experience in the communications and media industries in the GCC region.

The relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and China is transforming, from a promising trade link into a dynamic economic corridor. In this article from our Sandpiper team in the UAE, we look closer at this development and what it means for business leaders and communicators.

It isn’t just about containers moving through ports or executives signing memorandums. It’s about the rise of a truly strategic partnership, one that spans finance, energy, technology, infrastructure, tourism, and culture. And it’s growing fast, offering stability and resilience in an increasingly complex and uncertain geopolitical environment

The GCC-China partnership is moving to deep, cross-sector investment, and the numbers tell the story.

In the UAE, ties are being cemented through $3.4B of Belt & Road projects, alongside the Abu Dhabi–Shanghai ETF Connect, opening new channels for cross-border capital flows.

In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi-Chinese Business Forum recently announced $3.7B in agriculture and water security deals. China has also become the Kingdom’s top source of new FDI, with $21.6B invested between 2021–2024, largely into clean tech.

In Qatar, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has taken a 10% stake in ChinaAMC, one of China’s largest asset managers, the first time a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund has entered China’s asset management sector.

In Bahrain, Investcorp and China Investment Corporation (CIC) launched a $1B joint fund, complemented by $1.4B in Chinese-led infrastructure projects.

At the regional level, cooperation is extending into financial markets, with HKEX and Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul signing an MoU to enhance dual listings and ETF offerings, and new trilateral discussions between the GCC, ASEAN, and China opening the door to a future free trade area.

Why Communications Matter

For businesses on both sides, success in this dynamic environment is no longer just about having the right product or the right investment partner. It’s about building trust across and between vastly different markets, media environments, and cultural contexts.

Communications is the bridge and key in turning market entry into market confidence and trust, and transactional partnerships into long-term shared success and growth.

For Chinese companies entering the GCC region, one of the key challenges is brand recognition. Success depends on building credibility quickly while navigating complex regulatory frameworks and deeply rooted business customs that value trust and long-term relationships. As for GCC companies expanding into China, the challenge is understanding a fast-moving, highly digital market where reputation can shift rapidly, and where media ecosystems operate under an entirely different set of rules.

The Role of Storytelling

The true sweet spot lies in finding a shared language of opportunity, where driving the right narrative is as important as the numbers.

In the GCC countries, a company’s story must resonate with audiences who value heritage, community, and national progress. In China, storytelling must align with themes of innovation, shared prosperity, and global competitiveness – while adapting to the country’s distinctive media and digital landscape.

For energy companies for instance, this can mean highlighting the joint commitment to clean energy and net-zero goals. For tech innovators, it can be showcasing their ambition to shape the future of AI and smart cities. And for tourism and lifestyle brands, it’s crafting experiences that combine Gulf hospitality with Chinese cultural expectations.

From Trade to Trust

Cross-border success depends on more than signing contracts – ultimately it hinges on building trust. And trust cannot be achieved through translation alone. It requires cultural fluency, sector knowledge, and the ability to navigate sensitivities that differ widely between the GCC region and China.

This means for instance recognising the importance of holidays, symbols, and customs in shaping communications and timing announcements. It also means cultivating relationships with tier-one media and influencers in Arabic, English, and Mandarin to establish credibility across markets. And it means understanding and preparing for issues before they arise, with crisis playbooks adapted to the cultural and political realities of each region.

When done well, this approach transforms transactional relationships into close and valued partnerships, and short-term wins into long-term, strategic alignment.

Why Now?

We are at a clear inflection point.

The GCC countries are accelerating economic diversification, channelling billions into clean energy, advanced technology, logistics, and cultural initiatives. These investments are not incremental; they are designed to completely reshape economies for a post-oil future and establish the region as a global hub for innovation and influence.

At the same time, China is deepening its Belt and Road engagement, seeking partners who can provide stability, long-term energy security, cutting-edge innovation, and access to global markets. The Gulf, with its strategic geography, capital strength, and appetite for transformation, has become one of Beijing’s key partners.

This convergence is being reinforced on the global stage. Expo 2030 Riyadh, successive COP summits, high-profile investment and Belt & Road forums are more than symbolic gatherings, they are platforms where the GCC and China are positioning themselves as central players in the future global order.

For companies and institutions – from trade bodies to sovereign wealth funds – this creates a great opening. Those that act now and invest in getting their communications right will not only benefit from today’s opportunities, but also secure crucial first-mover advantages that become harder to achieve, and to challenge, as the corridor matures. Those who wait risk playing catch-up in markets where perception, trust, and visibility move faster than contracts.

Related news & insights: