LONDON: Saudi Arabia is keen to strengthen its cooperation with Hong Kong and ultimately mainland China, the Kingdom’s minister of communications and IT said on Sunday.

Speaking at the “One Gateway Shared Vision — Hong Kong x Saudi Arabia” event in the city, Abdullah Al-Swaha said closer collaboration would help boost the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, the South China Morning Post reported.

Saudi authorities would look to work closely with Hong Kong across a range of sectors, including health sciences and biotechnology, environmental, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and smart cities, he said.

“Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia are going through very promising transformations, where both economies are financial hubs in their own regions. We have an opportunity to build an innovation bridge, to leapfrog into the future with an innovation-based economy.”

Al-Swaha is on an official visit to China accompanied by a high-level delegation representing entities affiliated with the digital economy, space and innovation systems.

A “pro-partnership and pro-openness” Saudi Arabia was willing to do business with “any partner that can comply with our security and regulatory requirements,” he said.

He also praised the transformation of the ICT sector in Hong Kong and in mainland China as “world class” and a “success story” the Kingdom wanted to “replicate and explore partnerships with.”

Al-Swaha’s trip follows the Arab-China Business Conference held in Riyadh last month at which Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said the Kingdom could serve as China’s gateway to the Arab world.