In recent years, bilateral trade between China and Saudi Arabia has remained consistently high. For 13 consecutive years, China has been Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner and largest source of imports, serving as the most crucial and stable supply market in Saudi Arabia’s import supply chain. According to the latest data from the Saudi General Authority for Statistics and the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, the total value of bilateral trade in goods between China and Saudi Arabia reached US$108.1 billion in 2025, with Chinese exports to Saudi Arabia amounting to approximately US$53.4 billion. In the first half of 2026, bilateral trade volume approached US$50 billion, demonstrating the continued resilience of the trade relationship.
Trade Rankings between China and Middle Eastern Countries
In terms of import share, Chinese goods accounted for 27.5% of Saudi Arabia’s total imports in 2025, and reached a peak of 31.0% in a single month in 2026, far exceeding other major import sources such as the UAE, the United States, and India, firmly holding the top position in Saudi Arabia’s import market. Saudi Arabia’s imports from China cover multiple sectors, including machinery and electronics, new energy, infrastructure steel, light industrial products and home furnishings, and auto parts. The product category structure continues to optimize, with the import share of high-value-added and new energy products increasing year by year, becoming a new growth engine for China-Saudi Arabia trade.
Leveraging its massive trade volume and stable cooperation needs, CNDDP Shipping, a professional freight forwarding company in China, focuses on providing one-stop logistics services from China to Saudi Arabia, including freight forwarding, ocean freight booking, customs clearance and delivery, and door-to-door delivery. It precisely matches the transportation needs of various imported goods in the Saudi market, providing efficient, low-cost, and highly reliable logistics solutions for cross-border trade enterprises between China and Saudi Arabia, helping Chinese goods successfully enter the Saudi market.
Top 10 Core Products Imported by Saudi Arabia from China
Based on official Saudi import statistics for the full year of 2025 and the first half of 2026, as well as industry data from international trade platforms, and ranked primarily by import value (USD), this list identifies the top ten main product categories imported by Saudi Arabia from China. These categories cover core areas such as high-end machinery and electronics, new energy, industrial raw materials, and consumer goods, comprehensively reflecting the structure of Saudi Arabia’s import demand from China. All data in the following rankings are based on import settlement amounts verified by the Saudi General Authority for Taxation and Customs (ZATCA), and the currency is uniformly USD.
| Ranking | Product Category | HS Code | 2025 Import Value (USD) | Market Share |
| 1 | Communication Equipment & Electronic Components | 8517 | 6.12B | 15.39% |
| 2 | Lithium-ion Batteries & Energy Storage Modules | 850760 | 1.80B | 99.29% |
| 3 | Passenger Vehicles & Electric Vehicle Parts | 8703 | 2.38B | 6.00% |
| 4 | Hot-rolled Steel Coils & Construction Steel Materials | 720836 | 491.38M | 99.50% |
| 5 | Smart Home Appliances & Consumer Electronics | 9803 | 2.37B | 5.96% |
| 6 | Plastic Products & Industrial Plastic Raw Materials | 3901-3926 | 1.52B | 4.21% |
| 7 | Furniture & Building Decoration Materials | 9401-9403 | 1.26B | 3.87% |
| 8 | Mechanical Equipment & Engineering Machinery Accessories | 8400-8499 | 1.18B | 3.52% |
| 9 | Textiles, Garments & Daily Textile Products | 6001-6307 | 986.5M | 2.98% |
| 10 | Power Electrical Equipment & Distribution Devices | 8501-8504 | 872.3M | 2.65% |
Data Source: Saudi Import Customs Clearance Fasah Data Query Platform
Construction machinery and electromechanical appliances are the main imports.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has undertaken large-scale urban expansion, new city construction, road renovation, and oil and gas park upgrades, creating a significant demand for construction equipment. Excavators, loaders, cranes, road rollers, forklifts, and other earthmoving, road construction, and lifting machinery are the largest imports from China. Domestically produced construction equipment offers high cost-effectiveness, complete spare parts, and rapid after-sales service, and is suitable for Saudi Arabia’s high-temperature outdoor construction conditions. It enjoys high recognition within the local construction industry, and its market share is increasing year by year. Besides large machinery, various supporting electromechanical equipment, household appliances, and office electronic equipment are also regular import categories, frequently purchased by government and enterprises, and are consistently major import items.
New energy storage and new energy vehicle parts are becoming popular growth items.
In line with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 New Energy Transition Plan, local photovoltaic power plants, energy storage power plants, and new energy commuter projects are continuously being implemented, driving a surge in imports of lithium batteries, energy storage modules, new energy vehicles, and electric vehicle parts. Currently, Saudi Arabia relies heavily on imports of new energy equipment from China, achieving near-total market coverage. This is the fastest-growing import category in the past two years and a popular growth area for foreign trade and logistics, with ample long-term sales potential.
Steel and building materials are essential for infrastructure construction, almost entirely supplied by China.
Saudi Arabia’s local building material production capacity is insufficient. Large-scale infrastructure projects, residential buildings, villas, and municipal engineering projects rely heavily on bulk imports of hot-rolled steel coils, construction steel, decorative panels, and pipe profiles from China. Domestically produced building materials offer a complete range of specifications, fast bulk delivery, and stable prices, perfectly meeting the needs of Saudi Arabia’s large-scale centralized procurement projects. The country has a very high import dependence, consistently shipping large quantities of full containers, making it the most stable and essential commodity in China-Saudi logistics.
Light industrial and household goods have stable sales, ensuring uninterrupted demand.
Daily consumer goods, including furniture, textiles, clothing, footwear, plastic products, and general merchandise, have the most stable sales. These goods are inexpensive, come in a variety of styles, and have a wide appeal. They are essential daily necessities for Saudi residents, are not affected by market fluctuations, and are shipped in small batches frequently throughout the year. They are also a core type of goods for small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises and cross-border logistics.
Forecast of China-Saudi Arabia Import Trade Development Trends (2026-2027)
Based on Saudi Arabia’s economic development plan and the current state of bilateral trade cooperation, Saudi Arabia’s import trade from China will exhibit three core trends over the next two years.
First, the proportion of imports of new energy, intelligent technology, and high-end equipment will continue to increase, gradually replacing traditional light industrial products as the core driver of trade growth.
Second, China-Saudi Arabia industrial cooperation will continue to deepen, with cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouse models becoming increasingly widespread, leading to a significant increase in the frequency of imports of small consumer goods and customized industrial components.
Third, infrastructure supporting materials, energy storage equipment, and new energy vehicles will become long-term growth drivers, with continued release of market dividends.
Meanwhile, with the optimization of Saudi Arabia’s tariff policies and the upgrading of bilateral trade customs clearance facilitation, the efficiency of China-Saudi Arabia cross-border logistics continues to improve, creating a favorable market environment for small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises to expand into Saudi Arabia. However, at the same time, the control of cross-border transportation timeliness, customs clearance compliance, warehousing and distribution, and other logistics links have become key factors affecting the trade profits of enterprises.
How to Find a Freight Forwarder for Imports from China to Saudi Arabia
CNDDP Shipping, a professional Chinese freight forwarder deeply rooted in the Middle East market, precisely caters to the cross-border logistics needs of Saudi Arabia for various major products imported from China, including electromechanical equipment, new energy products, steel and building materials, home furnishings and light industrial products, and auto parts, addressing key industry pain points.
In terms of transportation solutions, the company provides full container load (FCL) and less than container load (LCL) sea freight services from China to key ports and cities in Saudi Arabia, such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. It undertakes the transportation of special goods such as large infrastructure equipment, heavy steel, precision electronic instruments, and new energy batteries, ensuring the safety of goods throughout the entire transportation process. Regarding customs clearance and delivery, relying on a localized compliance team familiar with Saudi import tariff policies, clearance procedures, and product access standards, the company can provide DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) shipping from China to Saudi Arabia, including one-stop customs clearance, tax payment, and delivery services, effectively avoiding issues such as customs delays and tariff calculation discrepancies.
In terms of cost and timeliness control, CNDDP Shipping leverages stable shipping company partnerships to offer highly competitive ocean freight rates with transparent pricing throughout the process (all fees are settled in USD, with no hidden charges), precisely matching the cost control needs of foreign trade enterprises. Simultaneously, through customized logistics solutions, it adapts to the differentiated transportation needs of large-volume infrastructure materials, small-volume cross-border e-commerce goods, and high-precision electromechanical products, comprehensively supporting Chinese enterprises in cultivating the Saudi import market and empowering the continuous improvement and expansion of Sino-Saudi bilateral trade.
You might be interested in:
