King Abdullah talks up Jordan’s green vision ahead of Beijing visit

King Abdullah pitches $1bn green investment push as he prepares for Beijing state visit

King Abdullah II said Jordan is seeking investors for renewable energy and storage projects worth $1 billion as he begins a week-long state visit to Beijing, highlighting a pipeline of nearly 1 gigawatt in generation and storage capacity and an ambitious power mix target. The monarch told China’s Xinhua news agency that renewable energy has grown from less than 1 percent of electricity generation a decade ago to 27 percent today, with a government aim of reaching 40 percent by 2035.

“Sustainability is one of the three pillars of Jordan’s economic modernisation vision,” King Abdullah II said, underlining the central role green energy will play in the kingdom’s development strategy.

The king framed the investment appeal within a wider push to expand economic and technological ties with China. He said Amman looks forward to broadening cooperation into “green energy, scientific innovation, tourism and civil aviation,” and pointed to recent high-profile Chinese deals as evidence of deepening commercial links.

One cited example is the acquisition by China’s State Development and Investment Group of a 28 percent stake in the Arab Potash Company for $502 million. Economic ties have strengthened rapidly: Chinese ambassador to Jordan Guo Wei is quoted as saying China was Jordan’s top trading partner in 2025, with bilateral trade increasing by more than a quarter to exceed $6.7 billion. King Abdullah added that Jordan’s exports to China jumped 80 percent in the first five months of this year, reaching nearly $300 million.

• Renewable share in electricity generation: under 1% a decade ago → 27% today.
• Jordan’s target: 40% renewables in power mix by 2035.
• Investment sought: $1 billion for renewables and storage projects.
• Project pipeline: nearly 1 gigawatt of generation and storage capacity.
• Notable Chinese investment: $502 million for 28% of Arab Potash Company.
• Bilateral trade with China: more than $6.7 billion in 2025; Jordan exports to China ~ $300 million in first five months (up 80%).

The king’s remarks come as Jordan seeks to diversify its energy mix, reduce reliance on imported fuels and scale up utility-scale renewables alongside energy storage to manage intermittency. The nearly 1GW pipeline of generation and storage projects will be central to attracting the $1 billion in outside capital he described, with developers and financiers likely to be targeted during meetings in Beijing.

Beyond immediate dealmaking, the visit aims to cement longer-term cooperation in areas that can support the green transition, including scientific innovation and civil aviation. Jordan’s strategy ties sustainability to broader economic modernisation: the king explicitly framed sustainability as one of three pillars of that national agenda.

Outlook: With China already the kingdom’s largest trading partner and recent investment such as the Arab Potash deal, Jordan is positioning itself as an investment destination for Chinese green capital. Success in securing the $1 billion and mobilising the near-1GW project pipeline will be a key test of whether the diplomatic trip translates into tangible new projects and accelerated progress toward the 40 percent renewable target by 2035.