Hong Kong’s John Lee wraps up Saudi Arabia stop on Middle East trip at technology conference featuring ultra-real robot Grace from city AI firm
- Chief executive also meets head of state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, promoting city’s pivotal role in helping it to attain listing there
- Second edition of conference attended by more than 900 local and international companies and over 700 speakers from 50 countries
At a flagship technology conference in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, petite Hong Kong nurse Grace, with her kind eyes and pleasant smile, was often the centre of attention. But she is not human.
The ultra-realistic robot was among displays at the four-day LEAP conference, which kicked off on Monday. A few years ago, Grace’s “sister” Sophia took the world by storm after receiving Saudi Arabian citizenship, becoming the first robot with such status in any country.
Both robots were on display by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, which is seeking to integrate its artificial intelligence-powered machines into Saudi Arabia’s smart city projects.
More Hong Kong technology firms have been venturing into the Middle East market by partnering with experienced local companies, while Chinese technology giants are ambitiously expanding their footprint amid deepening economic ties between both sides.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, on a week-long Middle East work trip, was among keynote speakers at the technology conference. In his speech, he promoted his government’s latest “Hello Hong Kong” campaign and efforts to lure firms into getting listed in the city.
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Lee also met Amin Nasser, president and CEO of state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco during the event, according to a government statement. In the meeting, Lee said Hong Kong could play a pivotal role in providing comprehensive financial and professional services to the company, including supporting its listing in the city, handling any of its future funding arrangements and unlocking investing opportunities.
Lee stressed the city could play an active role in diversifying and protecting the company’s assets as the world’s largest offshore Renminbi hub.
The second edition of the tech conference, organised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, drew more than 900 local and international companies and over 700 speakers from 50 countries.
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Speaking to the Post, Hanson Robotics representative Bill Inman said partnering with experienced local firms was a crucial first step in entering the Arab market. Hanson is working with Detasad, a Riyadh-based information and technology firm with 38 years of experience.
“We have the finest robots. They have the networks. We hope to power smart city projects regardless of locations,” Inman said, referring to projects in the 10 cities across Saudi Arabia under “Vision 2030”.
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The oil-rich kingdom covering a swathe of the Arabian peninsula is undergoing sweeping changes under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s blueprint to diversify the economy away from oil revenues.
“It’s just six years ahead of 2030. The speed of development is unimaginable,” said Claudette Wass, programme director of Detasad. “I am not selling Sophia or Grace, but abundant solutions to every sector. The market is open for everyone.”
For Chinese tech and telecommunication companies that already have global reach, the Saudi Arabian market still has a lot to offer. Big names including Huawei and Alibaba Cloud were among the largest exhibitors at the tech conference.
Both rented sizeable booths at the Riyadh Front Expo Centre to promote their cloud solutions for enterprises and governments.
Gavin Yang Qin, Huawei director of Industrial Solutions who has been based in Riyadh for years, said he witnessed how Saudi authorities warmed to Chinese involvement in advancing the government’s system. For example, he said, the tech giant was commissioned to develop some key components in the kingdom’s immigration system.
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Last December, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the country resulted in the signing of 34 investment agreements in fields such as green energy, cloud services and logistics. One of the memorandums of understanding involved Huawei on cloud computing and building hi-tech complexes in Saudi cities.
China Mobile International has also been ambitious in expanding its footprint in the kingdom. For years, the telecommunication firm’s operations in the Middle East have been largely based in Dubai, according to senior marketing manager Kathy Han.
She told the Post the company planned to set up offices in Riyadh this year, in hope of enhancing its services in offering 5G, Artificial Intelligence and IoT solutions to Saudi enterprises and the government.
“As we are headquartered in Hong Kong, we will make good use of its international experiences and successful models to expand our reach here,” she said.
John Lee concluded his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia and arrived at the second stop of his trip in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday.
On his Facebook page, Lee said the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) countries was Hong Kong’s valued trading and investment partner. In 2021, total bilateral merchandise trade amounted to more than US$16 billion (HK$125.6 billion), of which the UAE contributed the most, around 80 per cent.
The city leader said Hong Kong was poised to provide tremendous opportunities for businesses and investors, from new and traditional energies to smart city, transport, logistics, financial technology and biotechnology.
