Jordan looks to cooperation with China on green energy

China and Jordan have stepped up their efforts to deepen cooperation in fields such as green energy as the recent visit by Jordan's King Abdullah II to China opened new avenues for practical bilateral cooperation.

King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein made a state visit to China from Aug 18 to Aug 24. The visit marked the king's ninth visit to China since his accession to the throne, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ahead of the visit, King Abdullah II said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that his country looked forward to "expanding cooperation into areas such as green energy".

A step toward that vision came on Monday, when a Chinese energy company signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan to assess the feasibility of a potential green hydrogen project.

The MoU, signed between Saleh Al Kharabsheh, minister of energy and mineral resources of Jordan, and Yin Mingshan, chairman of Getting International Energy Holdings, covers technical studies for a project to produce green hydrogen and its derivatives in Jordan, drawing on renewable energy resources and desalinated water available at the port of Aqaba.

In a statement, he said this deal follows the king's China visit. It forms part of efforts to strengthen bilateral economic and investment cooperation, with a special focus on the green hydrogen sector, a much-highlighted sector, he said.

Kharabsheh added that the studies under the memorandum will assess the project's technical and economic feasibility before a decision is made on its development and implementation.

The scope of work includes assessing the suitability of a site close to the port, and analyzing the full integrated value chain: renewable energy generation, seawater desalination, production of green hydrogen and green ammonia, energy storage, power transmission, logistics and port-related services.

Kharabsheh reaffirmed Jordan's ambition to position itself as a regional and global hub for clean energy. Green hydrogen projects rank high among national sector priorities, he said.

Vital hub

That ambition extends beyond green energy. Yarub Qudah, minister of industry, trade and supply of Jordan, pointed to Jordan's position in regional logistics networks, citing the port of Aqaba, where about 80 percent of imported goods are not destined for the Jordanian market.

Qudah said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency that Jordan could draw on Chinese expertise and technology to develop its industry, supply chains and digital transformation, and to strengthen Jordanian products in the global markets.

Qudah, who accompanied King Abdullah II on his August visit to China, said Jordan is currently forming a comprehensive working group to follow up on the outcomes of the visit and to identify direct opportunities with the Chinese private sector.

A report from Voice of Emirates, a Dubai-based digital news agency, said these cooperative moves "come within the framework of growing relations between Amman and Beijing, amid Jordanian interest in attracting Chinese investments and leveraging China's technological and industrial capabilities to bolster the economy and create new development opportunities".

CHINA DAILY-AGENCIES-XINHUA