China eyeing more investments in Jordan — ambassador

AMMAN — China is committed to continued support to Jordan and Chinese investors are eyeing more projects in the Kingdom, Chinese Ambassador in Amman Pan Weifang said on Monday.

"Chinese investors are focusing on Jordan and have their eyes focused on the Kingdom for more investments because of the country's strategic location to key neighbouring markets and due to the country's stability," the ambassador said in a press conference on the occasion of the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), which will kick off in China on Tuesday.

The ambassador said Chinese investments in Jordan in various sectors have already created 10,000 jobs for Jordanians.

"Relations with Jordan are strong and strategic and we want to further develop cooperation to cover various areas," the ambassador told reporters.

He added that in 2017 China pledged $77 million in aid and grants to Jordan to support the implementation of several infrastructure projects and other sectors.

"I hope meetings will be held soon between the two sides and that there will be near discussions to go ahead with these projects and the aid to Jordan," the ambassador said.

China, he said, contributed aid to the Syrian refugees to help reduce the pressure on the Kingdom over the past year, adding that China is committed to providing assistance to Jordan.

Discussions during the CASCF will focus on the multibillion-dollar land and maritime project, including the One Belt One Road project, which aims to connect China to the rest of the world, including Jordan, he said.

"The project will help increase trade ties and cooperation with the entire Arab world including Jordan," said the ambassador.

The “One Belt One Road” initiative was launched in 2013. 

The Silk Road Economic Belt, the land component of the initiative, focuses on bringing together China, Central Asia, Russia and Europe (the Baltic); linking China with the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea through Central Asia and the Indian Ocean.

The 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, the oceanic component of the project, is scheduled to stretch from China's coast to Europe through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean in one route, and from China's coast through the South China Sea to the South Pacific on the other.

The project will boost trade between China and the Arab world, which in 2017 reached around $200 billion, said the ambassador.