From AI to dates, China and Saudi Arabia explore new oases beyond oil, but obstacles remain

Saudi Arabian date exporter Omar al-Refaei once again set foot in China earlier this month, this time with higher hopes than his previous visit four years ago, as he looked to sell the traditional fruit into the world’s most populous market.

“I know, when Chinese think of Saudi Arabia, they only know [about] oil,” said Refaei, having flown over 5,500km (3,418 miles) from Riyadh to attend a trade fair in Lanzhou, the capital city of northwest China’s Gansu province.