The Saudis want China to help fund the new development
China is among the potential revenue providers who could help the Kingdom realize its bold urban project. About a week ago, Saudi developers traveled to several Chinese cities, including Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, as they sought to “court Chinese investors” for assistance in realizing the project, Business Insider reported.
It’s unclear whether China is actually interested in helping out, however. No deals have been announced as a result of the Saudi visits and Leonard Chan, the chair of the Hong Kong Innovative Technology Development Association, told a French news agency that responses to the Saudis’ presentations were “mostly neutral.” Chan proceeded to further dunk on the development, saying: “I’ll visit for fun, but I won’t live there. It’s like something out of ‘SimCity.’”
