Chinese manufacturers drive shared gains with BRI partners

NANCHANG, June 5 (Xinhua) -- From pickup trucks rolling onto the streets of Saudi Arabia to blood purification devices entering Southeast Asian hospitals, Chinese manufacturers are deepening their ties with Belt and Road partner countries, bringing benefits to local businesses, healthcare providers and consumers.

Jiangling Motors Group Co., Ltd. (JMCG), a leading automaker based in east China's Jiangxi Province, has been steadily expanding its footprint in the Middle East. In early 2026, the company showcased its new pickup models, the Vigus Plus and the Grand Avenue, at the annual exhibition of Saudi Telecom Company in Riyadh, in partnership with its Saudi Arabian partner Aljabr Holding Company.

JMCG sells its vehicles overseas via two brands with separate sales channels, covering markets in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. In 2025, the group's export sales surged 38.4 percent year on year to nearly 170,000 units. Exports to the Middle East alone totaled over 34,000 units, with the Saudi Arabian market exceeding 10,000 units.

Last October, notably, JMCG held a global launch ceremony for new pickup trucks in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Abdulmohsin Al Jabr, chairman of Aljabr Holding, one of the business partners of JMCG, said that since JMCG entered the Saudi Arabian market in 2022, the two sides had jointly built a stable localized operation system, and at the same time further strengthened mutual trust and coordinated development in cooperation.

Chinese automotive brands have emerged as a core growth driver in the Middle East market, said Ren Lin, planning and operations manager for the group's import and export business.

The BRI has facilitated deeper connectivity between China and Central Asia, West Asia and North Africa, unlocking new market opportunities. More and more Chinese enterprises are drawing up blueprints for going global or are already in the process.

In a sterile workshop of Jiangxi Sanxin Medtec Co., Ltd., robotic arms show precision in carrying out rubber cutting, detection and drying processes in the production of a hollow fiber hemodialyzer.

The company has shifted from ordinary infusion products to blood purification, drug delivery, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular intervention and diabetes care, gradually expanding its product range.

Peng Yixing, chairman of Sanxin Medtec, said the firm is seizing the opportunity presented by China's manufacturing upgrading and globalization, moving closer to overseas markets, with a particular focus on Belt and Road partner countries.

Currently, Sanxin Medtec has successfully completed product registration in Belt and Road partner countries such as Indonesia, Peru and Türkiye, and is accelerating the certification process in Southeast Asia, Latin America and other markets.

According to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, the export value of medical devices had reached 50.47 billion U.S. dollars in China in 2025, up 3.54 percent compared with the previous year. The market structure is becoming more diversified, with the BRI serving as a key growth driver.

Business insiders believe that emerging markets in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa will grow faster than those in developed countries, due to their large populations, as well as improving health conditions and growing medical demand in these regions.

Customs figures reveal that China's trade with Belt and Road partner countries rose by 6.3 percent to 23.6 trillion yuan (3.46 trillion U.S. dollars) last year, accounting for 51.9 percent of the country's total foreign trade.

Leveraging the advantages of its polymer composite rubber materials, Jiangxi-based Naipu Mining Machinery Co., Ltd. has been exporting its innovative mining equipment and wear parts to more than 30 countries and regions, including Belt and Road countries like Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Serbia. It has also built stable partnerships with leading mining companies and equipment manufacturers worldwide.

Chairman Zheng Hao is confident about the company's future.

"We will focus on Belt and Road partner countries and resource-rich regions such as Latin America, Africa and Central Asia, opening up a new growth driver through mining development and steadily transforming from a global consumables supplier into an integrated mining service provider," he said.