Saudi Arabia’s Municipalities & Housing Ministry has awarded contracts worth over SR1.9bn ($506m) to Chinese contractors for two residential developments in the kingdom.

The first contract has been awarded to China Architectural Construction Corporation for the construction of 2,010 housing units at the Al-Ruba residential project in Riyadh. The contract value is SR875m ($233m).

The other contract has been awarded to China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) for the Al-Rasha Al-Faisaliah residential project in Dammam. The project comprises 2,426 housing units, and the contract value is over SR1bn ($266m).

The contracts were announced during the official visit of Majed Al-Hogail, Saudi Municipalities & Housing Minister, to China, where he also signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between Saudi and Chinese firms. The MoUs aim to accelerate housing development, localise advanced construction technologies and enhance public-private sector collaboration.

MEED reported in 2020 that Riyadh planned to oversee the development of more than 1 million homes by 2025 to meet growing demand in the kingdom.

By 2030, the Saudi capital aims to more than double its population, from 7-8 million to 15-20 million, and to become one of the 10 wealthiest cities in the world.