meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Chinese firms dominate region’s projects market

5 March 2025

 

This package also includes: China construction at pivotal juncture

Chinese construction companies secured over $90bn in contracts in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in 2024. Their market share was 26% of the $347bn total for the region, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects. 

The record-breaking performance underscores the growing influence of Chinese firms in the region’s projects market.

In the past decade, Chinese construction companies have steadily increased their foothold in the region. 

Between 2015 and 2019, the value of contracts won by Chinese firms ranged from $12bn to $23bn, reflecting a solid presence. There was a dip in 2016, when $12bn of awards reflected government spending cuts, and a second occurred in 2020, when lower oil prices and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic led to awards of $13bn.

Since the pandemic, Chinese contractors’ orderbooks have grown sharply, with contract values rebounding to $26bn in 2021, dipping slightly in 2022 to $22bn. Then, in 2023, contracts awarded to Chinese contractors more than doubled to $51bn, rising even further to reach a record-breaking $90bn in 2024.

Leading players

According to MEED Projects, the top-ranking company by contract value and project volume based on work at the execution stage is China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), with 47 projects totalling $23.5bn.

The other active companies are Sepco 3 Electric Power Construction Corporation, with $17.1bn of work across 14 projects; PowerChina, with $17bn across 22 projects; and Hualu Engineering & Technology, with $14bn of work concentrated in just three high-value projects. 

Sinopec and China Energy Engineering Corporation managed 19 and 14 projects, respectively, reflecting their broad engagement in the region.

China Harbour Engineering Company has a more diversified orderbook, with 32 projects worth a total of $8.1bn. Meanwhile, China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation has 27 projects, amounting to $5.7bn.

China’s strengths

The record volumes of work secured by Chinese contractors in recent years can be explained by a combination of factors. 

Saudi Arabia has become the largest market for Chinese contractors in the Mena region

Traditionally, Chinese firms have enjoyed a lower cost base than their international competitors. This comes from lower manpower costs, access to cheaper materials and equipment, and financial support from state banks. 

Culturally, Chinese firms have typically had a different attitude to risk than many other contractors. Instead of seeking to turn a profit on specific projects, Chinese firms have entered markets cautiously and, as their knowledge of the local market grew, built a commanding long-term position.

More recently, the edge that Chinese contractors enjoy has come from the technical experience they have gained from delivering large-scale, complex projects in their domestic market. While in the past Chinese contractors were only considered capable of delivering basic construction work, they now have some of the best project references in the world. 

This was demonstrated in 2024, when CSCEC competed to complete the 1,000-metre-plus tower in Jeddah. The work was eventually given back to the incumbent Saudi Binladin Group, but when CSCEC was pursuing the contract, it boasted a portfolio of several completed super-high-rise and mega-tall projects, exceeding anything its competitors could demonstrate.

Meanwhile, in the UAE, the five groups that competed for the $5.5bn contract for Dubai Metro’s Blue Line extension all had at least one Chinese firm as a consortium member. The eventual winner was a team of Turkiye’s Limak Holding and Mapa Group with the Hong Kong office of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation.

Oil and gas is another area where expertise has been developed. Twenty years ago, Chinese contractors could not prequalify for work on most oil and gas projects in the region, but today they compete for and win work from Mena’s leading oil companies. For example, Chinese firms won four of the 17 contracts awarded last year for the third expansion phase of Saudi Aramco’s Master Gas System project.

China’s domestic market has created a pool of resources that are being deployed internationally as the outlook for the Chinese construction market shows signs of weakness.

Chinese contractors have also been able to give their clients the solutions they require. 

In North Africa, they have raised finances for projects in countries that in some cases lack funding. This has enabled Chinese companies to develop a steady pipeline of projects across North Africa.

In February this year, China’s Tianchen Engineering Corporation was selected by state-owned Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company to execute three contracts to develop industrial projects in Egypt. In Algeria, the Agence Nationale d’Etudes et de la Realisation des Investissements Ferroviaires (Anesrif) awarded a $476m railway line upgrade contract in late 2024 to a joint venture of China Railway Sixth Group and the local Infrarer.

In Saudi Arabia, where funding is less of a concern, Chinese contractors have been able to deploy the large project teams required to deliver Riyadh’s Vision 2030.

Saudi foothold

Saudi Arabia has become the largest market for Chinese contractors in the Mena region, with $43bn of contract awards in 2024. This accounted for nearly 30% of the $143bn total for the kingdom last year.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 comes at a perfect time for Chinese contractors. Riyadh is hungry for resources to deliver its ever-growing roster of projects, including the five official gigaprojects, the requirements of which are extensive. 

At the top level, they require funding and financial support, but contractors and suppliers are also needed to deliver the projects. The contract award numbers show that Chinese companies looking to expand their international reach have latched onto this opportunity.

For China, Saudi Arabia is not just a volume play. Other markets in Asia and Africa also offer opportunities for Chinese contractors as part of Beijing’s $4tn Belt & Road Initiative, launched in 2013. In recent years, however, the problem for Chinese companies in many of these markets is that the soft loans provided to complete projects cannot be repaid.

The key difference for China when looking at Saudi Arabia is that it sees a reliable market that is financially strong and backed by oil wealth.

Beyond construction, Chinese firms are investing in the Saudi supply chain, which is a pillar of Vision 2030. Earlier this year, China Harbour Engineering Company inaugurated a 200,000-square-metre modular building factory at gigaproject developer Roshn’s Sedra project in Riyadh.

Other investments include a steel plate manufacturing complex in Ras Al-Khair Industrial City, developed by Saudi Aramco, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and China’s Baosteel; and Lenovo’s Oasis Project, a $2bn technology hub in Riyadh, set to manufacture computer devices and serve as the company’s regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa.

The economic forces that bring Saudi Arabia and China together are also being encouraged, particularly by the PIF.

Last year, agreements worth up to $50bn were signed with major Chinese financial institutions, including the Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China and China Construction Bank, to ensure a steady stream of funding for Chinese firms working in the kingdom.

Broader outlook 

As the influence of Chinese contractors grows on the international stage, it has raised concerns. In 2022, the US Department of Defence released the names of what it calls “Chinese military companies”. The list included some of China’s largest contracting companies.

The economic forces that bring Saudi Arabia and China together are also being encouraged, particularly by the Public Investment Fund

In a statement at the time, the Department of Defence said it “is determined to highlight and counter the PRC [People’s Republic of China] Military-Civil Fusion strategy, which supports the modernisation goals of the People’s Liberation Army by ensuring its access to advanced technologies and expertise are acquired and developed by PRC companies, universities and research programmes that appear to be civilian entities”.

The sharp growth in contract awards secured by Chinese contractors in the Mena region since 2022 suggests this concern is limited outside the US.

Looking ahead, Chinese contractors are keen for more work in the Mena region. This was strongly signalled in mid-February, when CSCEC partnered with Cairo-based Al-Organi Group to secure contracts for the $24bn Ras El-Hekma project on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. 

The 170 million-square-metre master-planned development, backed by Abu Dhabi-based ADQ, is one of the world’s largest ongoing construction projects. The CSCEC-Al-Organi partnership has set a target to secure more than $5bn in contracts on the scheme within the next three years.

With major schemes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Mena region, Chinese firms will be well positioned to deliver the region’s project ambitions.

China construction at pivotal juncture
 

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13451503/main.jpg
Colin Foreman

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Stakeholders aim to sign Iraq pipeline deal by year end

    6 November 2026

     

    Stakeholders expect a key contract to be signed before the end of the year for the development of a major oil export pipeline network in Iraq, according to industry sources.

    Iraq and Syria’s governments, state-owned oil companies and a consortium led by Qatar’s UCC are currently discussing the terms.

    If all parties agree to the proposed deal, the UCC-led coalition will become the selected developer responsible for tendering engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the project.

    The consortium includes US-based Chevron, the investment company TI Capital and France’s TotalEnergies.

    The proposed plan will use a fast-track framework to bring the pipelines online as quickly as possible.

    One source said: “The plan that is being discussed is highly unusual, because it is such a large-scale pipeline project and it would be brought online in a relatively short timeframe.”

    A team from UCC is currently in Iraq for meetings with government officials to discuss the project, one source said.

    The project will be focused on four pipeline packages:

    • Basra to Najaf
    • Najaf to Haditha
    • Haditha to Fish Khapour
    • Haditha to Banias Port in Syria

    In July, Iraq’s cabinet approved state-owned Basra Oil Company signing a ​heads of agreement and a non-disclosure agreement with the UCC-led consortium to explore possible future oil pipeline projects.

    Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium is preparing technical and financial feasibility studies for strategic export pipeline projects.

    Also in July, US-based KBR was awarded a consultancy contract for the section of pipeline due to extend from Basra to Haditha.

    In April, Iraq announced the allocation of $1.5bn for the Basra-Haditha route, while the larger scheme is estimated at around $5bn.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21181262/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Taqa shortlists 17 contractors for Mirfa-Liwa scheme

    6 November 2026

     

    Up to 17 contractors have been invited to submit bids for a major water transmission and distribution scheme serving Mirfa, Madinat Zayed and Liwa in Abu Dhabi, a source close to the project has confirmed to MEED.

    The project, originally estimated to cost $775m, comprises a water transmission system from Mirfa, alongside distribution networks serving farms and settlements in Abu Dhabi’s western region.

    In October, MEED exclusively reported that a request for proposals had been issued, with bids due on 5 January 2027, following an extension from the initial deadline of 11 November 2026.

    The Mirfa-Liwa scheme has been in procurement for several years and was previously tendered in December 2024 as an engineering, procurement and construction scheme, divided between transmission and distribution works.

    As MEED understands, it was recently re-tendered under a design, build and operate model, extending the contractor’s responsibilities to operating the infrastructure after construction.

    According to sources, the full list of contractors invited to bid for the tender includes:

    • Afcons Infrastructure (India)
    • Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies (Saudi Arabia)
    • China Machinery Engineering Corporation (China)
    • China National Chemical Engineering (China)
    • China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group (China)
    • Danway Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (UAE)
    • Emarat Aloula Contracting (UAE)
    • FCC Aqualia (Spain)
    • Gulf Contractors Company (UAE)
    • Hydropower Energy & General Construction (UAE)
    • Jereh Oil & Gas Engineering Corporation (China)
    • Mapa (Turkiye)
    • Nesma & Partners Contracting Company (Saudi Arabia)
    • Orascom Construction (Egypt)
    • Power Construction Corporation of China (China)
    • Tecton Engineering & Construction (UAE)
    • Tristar Engineering & Construction (UAE)

    According to details seen by MEED, the scope includes a pumping station at Mirfa with a capacity of 128 million imperial gallons a day, approximately 125 kilometres of transmission pipelines to Muzairah, with branches to Madinat Zayed and Liwa Summit, and storage tanks at the three locations.

    The distribution network is divided into four geographic clusters covering Liwa East, Liwa West, Madinat Zayed and Seih Al-Kheir. The works include associated pipelines, pumping stations and storage facilities.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21181223/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Gulf conflict cuts Emirates Group profit by 66%

    6 November 2026

    Dubai’s Emirates Group made a profit before tax of AED4.1bn ($1.1bn) in the first half of its 2026-27 financial year, 66% less than the AED12.2bn it made in the same period last year.

    The six months to 30 September were the group’s first full half-year since military activity disrupted commercial air traffic across the Gulf on 28 February. Group revenue fell 12% to AED66.2bn ($18bn), from AED75.4bn a year earlier. Profit after tax fell 66% to AED3.6bn ($1bn).

    Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) fell 41% to AED12.5bn ($3.4bn).

    The results follow a record 2025-26 financial year. The group made a profit before tax of AED24.4bn in that year, on revenue of AED150.5bn.

    “It has been a demanding six months, and once again our business model and our people stood up to the test,” said Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group. “Customer demand held firm and our cargo operations made a strong contribution, keeping revenue and cash levels healthy even as global jet fuel prices doubled against the same period last year.”

    Airline performance

    Emirates airline’s profit before tax fell 68% to AED3.7bn ($1bn), compared with AED11.4bn a year earlier. Its revenue fell 13% to AED56.9bn ($15.5bn). The airline carried 21.8 million passengers, 22% fewer than a year earlier. Capacity measured in available seat kilometres fell 17%, and the passenger seat factor dropped to 72% from 79.5%.

    Cargo partly offset the drop in passenger numbers. Emirates SkyCargo carried 1.2 million tonnes, 1% less than a year earlier, but its revenue rose 52%. The conflict reduced the airfreight capacity available on the market, and disruption to shipping pushed shippers towards air transport.

    Before hedging gains, fuel costs rose 60%, even though the airline uplifted 12% less fuel. Gains of AED7.1bn ($1.9bn) from fuel hedging cut the net increase in fuel costs to 13%. Fuel accounted for 34% of operating costs.

    On 30 September, Emirates was operating 91% of its pre-disruption network, serving 150 airports in 78 countries and territories. On 31 March, it had been flying 58% of its passenger capacity to 122 destinations in 65 countries.

    Fleet investment

    The airline received nine Airbus A350s and five Boeing 777 freighters during the period. Its fleet grew to 289 aircraft, from 277 on 31 March. Emirates is continuing its cabin retrofit programme, a planned investment of more than $7bn. It refurbished 12 aircraft in the first half. In May, it broke ground on a $5.1bn engineering and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Al-Maktoum International airport, which is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s.

    The group’s cash position was AED54.1bn ($14.7bn) on 30 September, down from a record AED59.6bn on 31 March. The group said it had used its reserves to make pre-delivery payments for aircraft and to service existing debt. It also paid the remaining AED2bn of the AED3.5bn dividend declared for 2025-26 to its owner, the Investment Corporation of Dubai.

    Ground services and travel company dnata made a profit before tax of AED410m ($112m), down 51%. Its revenue fell 7% to AED11bn ($3bn), and the group said dnata’s international businesses helped offset weaker traffic in the UAE.

    The group’s workforce fell 2% to 128,237 people.

    “We enter the second half of our 2026-27 financial year with measured optimism,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21198114/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • King Salman airport tenders roads and utilities package

    6 November 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC) has tendered the Zone C1+C2 roads, bridges and utility networks package for King Salman International airport (KSIA) in Riyadh.

    The tender was issued on 26 October, and bids are due by 6 December.

    The request for proposals covers the procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of civil infrastructure supporting Terminal 6, alongside the existing Terminals 1-5.

    The scope includes upgrades to Airport Road 539, which runs west of Terminals 1-5, and to part of Mohamed Bin Faraj Road 5333, west of Junction 6.

    It also includes new roads, ramps, service roads, and signalised at-grade junctions. An additional access road will connect the Terminal 6 site offices to Road 5333.

    Structures will include the Junction 6 and Terminal 6 bridges, retaining walls and reinforced-soil structures.

    The contractor will also construct the central ground services equipment (GSE) bridge. Before construction begins, the contractor must validate the design, complete any outstanding elements – including mechanically stabilised earth walls, approach slabs, drainage and lighting – and secure the required authority approvals.

    Dry utilities will comprise high- and extra-high-voltage containment, a 13.8kV medium-voltage network with package substations, low-voltage distribution and street lighting, and security-surveillance systems.

    Wet utilities will include potable water, fire water, irrigation water, treated sewage effluent, district cooling and wastewater networks. Wastewater pipes will range from 200mm u-PVC gravity lines to 1,700mm glass-reinforced plastic mains.

    The stormwater network will include channels, culverts, ponds and pipes ranging from 400mm to 1,400mm in diameter. Crossings will be constructed using open-cut excavation, horizontal directional drilling or microtunneling.

    Utilities serving the operational terminals will be diverted on a design-and-build basis. Enabling works will include earthworks and the relocation of the security fence and trees. The contractor will also demolish a temporary car park, existing bridges and a sewage pumping station.

    Optional works comprise two design-and-build elements that will proceed only at the client’s instruction.

    The first is the south GSE bridge. The second is an approximately 1,400-metre, multi-lane access road to the Terminal 6 Transportation Hub, including bridges, underpasses, ramps and tunnels, as well as provisions for future Wadi Loop utilities and structures.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21176175/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Bahrain construction activity remains subdued

    5 November 2026

     

    Bahrain’s construction and infrastructure sector remains subdued, with project awards still depressed despite a modest uptick this year.

    Data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects shows that $737m-worth of construction and infrastructure contracts had been awarded in the kingdom by 29 October 2026. While this exceeds the $686m recorded across the whole of 2025, it confirms that the market remains in a prolonged downturn.

    Between 2016 and 2020, Bahrain recorded more than $2bn in annual awards, peaking at nearly $3.9bn in 2016 when major packages for the Bahrain International airport expansion were signed. Awards then fell to $912m in 2021 before rebounding to almost $2bn in 2022. The recovery was short-lived, with awards declining to $1.66bn in 2023, $1.57bn in 2024 and $686m in 2025.

    Major awards

    Activity this year has been supported by several housing and transport packages.

    The largest award was an estimated $400m contract secured by a joint venture of local developer Naseej and China Machinery Engineering Corporation for the Madinat Khalifa project. Procured under the Mega Government Land Development Programme, the scheme involves the design, financing, construction, marketing and sale of more than 2,500 housing units on two government-owned land parcels, alongside roads and electricity, water, sewage and drainage networks.

    Road infrastructure also produced a major commitment. The Ministry of Works amended its award for package four of the Busaiteen Link project, appointing a joint venture of Nass Company and Nasser Hazza Al-Subaei Contracting Company under a BD65m ($172m) contract. The three-year deal replaces a BD69.7m ($185m) award made in January to a consortium of Haji Hassan Group, Saudi Arabia’s Alomaier Trading & Construction Company and Greece’s Terna.

    The package includes a signature bridge connecting Muharraq with the North Manama Causeway and Bahrain Bay, as well as road works between junctions four and five.

    Residential projects provided further volume. Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi & Sons secured a $112.4m contract to build 512 social apartment units on Madinat Salman’s Island 12. Binaa Al-Bahrain also appointed Kooheji Contractors to build Bayview in Manama, a development comprising four residential buildings and 489 apartments.

    Early-stage commitments included a BD5m ($13.5m) consultancy contract awarded to US-based Populous for the planned Sports City at Sakhir. The scope covers the masterplan, internal infrastructure, phase 1A design and tender documents. Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah won a QR28m ($7.7m) contract to conduct feasibility studies for the proposed 40-kilometre Qatar-Bahrain Causeway, also known as the Friendship Bridge.

    Transport links

    Transport is the most promising near-term outlet for the market, with a pipeline valued at about $15bn, according to MEED Projects data.

    Cross-border rail has re-emerged as a strategic focus. Bahrain has introduced legislation to establish a framework for constructing, operating, maintaining and regulating railway networks, including licensing, safety, cross-border services, and passenger and freight tariffs.

    The move comes as Gulf states prepare to advance the GCC railway network, which is expected to begin operating by the end of 2030. Bahrain’s proposed rail link to Saudi Arabia is expected to run via the planned King Hamad Causeway, a second fixed connection between the two countries alongside the King Fahd Causeway.

    Road expansion is also progressing. In September, the Bahrain Tender Board received bids from Nass Contracting, Haji Hassan Group, Almoayyed Contracting Group, Mohammed Abdulmohsen Al-Kharafi & Sons, Eastern Asphalt & Concrete Production, Cebarco Bahrain and Kingdom Asphalt for the upgrade of two kilometres of the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah Highway. The works involve a four-lane dual carriageway with service roads.

    Industrial and maritime infrastructure is advancing, too. The Ministry of Works received five bids for engineering and quantity surveying services linked to reclamation works at Salman Industrial City and Bahrain Logistics Zone.

    Dar SSH International Engineering Consultants submitted the lowest offer at BD778,580 ($2.1m), followed by Aecom at $2.2m, Ansari Engineering Services at $2.3m, Millet Engineering Bureau at $2.4m and Ayesa at $2.8m. The project involves reclaiming about 1.13 million square metres of land using 9.67 million cubic metres of fill near Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

    The government is also preparing the Bahrain Northern Link Road as a public-private partnership. The 29.5km highway will connect the North Manama Causeway with Suhaila Island and the King Hamad Causeway, creating a parallel east-west route to Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Highway and improving links between Khalifa Bin Salman Port and Saudi Arabia.

    Building pipeline

    Outside transport, Bahrain’s construction pipeline exceeds $6bn. The most prominent project is the Bahrain International Sports City development in Sakhir. In September, 21 local and Saudi Arabian contractors were prequalified for the first-phase construction contract, which is expected to include Bahrain’s largest sports stadium and a multipurpose indoor sports arena.

    The planned National Assembly Building in Manama is another significant civic project. Bids submitted earlier this year included three options from Cebarco Bahrain, ranging from $163.8m to $200.3m, alongside offers of $239.4m from Nass Contracting and $316.4m from Kooheji Contractors.

    The four-storey complex will be built on a reclaimed island and will include a main hall for joint sessions, separate debating chambers, administrative offices, an auditorium, library, museum, meeting rooms, public spaces, underground parking and supporting facilities.

    These projects provide a route out of Bahrain’s multi-year downturn. The market’s recovery, however, will depend on whether the government converts feasibility studies, advisory mandates and prequalification exercises into construction awards.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21181473/main.gif
    Yasir Iqbal