On 24 June, during the Asia Logistics Biennale in Shanghai, Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning Center Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SUTPC") and Elm Company, a key driver of digital transformation under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Leo Li, Deputy General Manager of SUTPC International, and Mohannad A. Almutairi, General Manager of the Transport & Digital Services Sector at Elm, signed on behalf of their respective organisations. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Mr. Jamil A. Alghamdi, CEO of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP), Mr. Ghazi Al Malki, Executive Vice President of the Transport and Logistics Sector, and other distinguished guests present at the event.


Organised by Messe München, the Asia Logistics Biennale is a flagship exhibition for sea, land, air, and supply chain logistics in the Asia‑Pacific region, providing a major platform for global logistics resource connectivity and smart logistics innovation. Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the two parties will conduct research and collaboration in areas including autonomous driving technologies and operational infrastructure, regulatory coordination, operational platforms and standard development, smart transportation professional capability integration, and AI and machine learning systems.


This signing marks an important step for SUTPC in its continued expansion into the Saudi market and its commitment to serving smart transportation and digitalisation efforts in Belt and Road partner countries. Elm has long served the digital transformation of Saudi public and private sectors, with strong local customer resources, digital service capabilities, and scenario‑based implementation experience. SUTPC brings extensive technical expertise and project experience in smart transportation, urban traffic governance, transportation digital platforms, city operation management, and AI applications. By combining their respective strengths, the two parties will promote the deep integration of Chinese smart transportation experience with local Saudi needs.


In recent years, Saudi Arabia has been steadily advancing its digital economy and transportation modernisation under Vision 2030. SUTPC has already established project‑based cooperation in Saudi Arabia in areas such as mass‑event crowd and traffic management, and autonomous driving, with projects including smart Hajj and autonomous driving initiatives. Through these efforts, SUTPC has accumulated valuable experience in smart transportation, urban operation management, and digital services tailored to local Saudi scenarios, providing a solid foundation for further practical cooperation with local partners such as Elm.


Looking forward, both parties will take the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding as a starting point to establish a regular communication mechanism, and will engage in practical cooperation in opportunity identification, technical solution alignment, localised implementation, and joint market development, with the goal of delivering more smart transportation and digital service outcomes in Saudi Arabia.