At the invitation of the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province (Hainan FAO), Ali Ibrahim A. Alheji, the newly appointed Consul General of Royal Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Guangzhou, visited Hainan from September 14 to 17 to attend the BFA Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation Roundtable and the Global Health Forum 2026 Haikou Conference. He also joined a tour of Hainan Free Trade Port's industrial parks organized by Hainan FAO for the foreign consular delegation. On September 16, Wang Yunfei, Deputy Director-General of the Hainan FAO, held a working meeting with Alheji and his delegation. The two sides held in-depth exchanges of views on strengthening exchanges and cooperation between Hainan and Saudi Arabia across a range of fields.

Wang warmly welcomed Alheji to Hainan. He noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership and that China's Belt and Road Initiative is closely aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Reviewing exchanges and cooperation between Hainan and Saudi Arabia in people-to-people exchanges, economy and trade, connectivity, energy, and agriculture, Wang expressed Hainan FAO's readiness to maintain close communication with the royal consulate general of Saudi Arabia in Guangzhou. Guided by the important consensus reached by the leaders of China and Saudi Arabia, the two sides could build on this visit to better align the Hainan FTP's key preferential policies with the strengths of Saudi industries and deepen practical cooperation in green energy, new petrochemical materials, port and shipping logistics, mining, specialty agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges.

Wang added that the office stands ready to help the consulate general establish contacts with Hainan's economic and trade authorities and relevant enterprises to promote two-way investment and trade.

Alheji thanked the office for its warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements, expressing his admiration for China's long history, rich culture, and development achievements. He said the consulate general stands ready to serve as a bridge between the two sides and strengthen ties with the office. He hoped to make full use of the Hainan FTP's advantages to advance practical cooperation in economy and trade, tourism, new energy, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, healthcare and wellness, and agricultural products.

He expressed the consulate general's readiness to encourage Saudi companies to participate in events such as the China International Consumer Products Expo and the China (Hainan) International Winter Trade Fair for Tropical Agricultural Products. He stated that the consulate general would also promote the Hainan FTP's development policies and opportunities to Saudi Arabia, encourage leading Saudi companies to visit Hainan for investment and business operation, and attract more Saudi tourists to the island. He also hoped that enterprises on both sides would strengthen exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefit.