At a time when global attention is focused on the Middle East, the construction of the 2030 Riyadh World Expo in Saudi Arabia has reached a critical juncture. The Riyadh Company (ERC) responsible for venue construction for the 2030 World Expo has officially launched a global bidding for infrastructure projects, marking the transition of this mega project with the theme of "Time of Change: Joining Hands to Create a Forward looking Future" from the planning stage to substantive construction, and becoming an important carrier for Saudi Arabia to promote economic diversification and enhance international influence.

According to the official plan of Saudi Arabia, the 2030 Riyadh World Expo Park covers an area of over 600 hectares and is located next to King Salman International Airport in the north of Riyadh. The main investment of the project is expected to exceed 7 billion US dollars, while the comprehensive investment scale of supporting infrastructure, transportation, energy, communication, and hotels is expected to exceed 50 billion US dollars. During the World Expo, it is expected to attract over 40 million visitors, including 15 million international tourists, and create approximately 200000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for the local area.

The theme of this World Expo is "An Era of Change: Joining Hands to Create a Forward looking Future", focusing on four major areas: energy transformation, sustainable development, digital innovation, and cultural inclusiveness, aiming to present Saudi Arabia's strategic achievements in the process of economic and social transformation. As a flagship project under the "Vision 2030" framework, the World Expo is seen as a key opportunity to promote Riyadh's entry into the top ten innovative cities in the world, and will further enhance the city's attractiveness to international businesses and talents.

In the first round of voting in November 2023, Riyadh won the bid to host the 2030 World Expo with an overwhelming advantage of 119 votes, defeating Busan, South Korea and Rome, Italy. The infrastructure project launched by ERC this time is divided into three sections: Plot 1 covers the main utility corridor, Plot 2 includes the northern cluster of the natural corridor, and Plot 3 is the southern cluster of the natural corridor. ERC has released a tender on September 21st, with submission deadlines for technical and commercial bids set for October 26th and November 9th, respectively.

At present, Bechtel Corporation, an American engineering company, has announced that it has won the project management consulting contract for the overall planning and construction project of this World Expo, demonstrating the high level of participation of international engineering forces in the construction of the Saudi Arabia World Expo. The 2030 Riyadh World Expo is scheduled to open on November 2, 2030, and will become one of the largest and most expensive international events in the history of the Middle East region. Keywords: overseas engineering, international engineering construction, foreign engineering construction news

With the launch of global bidding and the participation of multinational corporations, the 2030 Riyadh World Expo will not only reshape Saudi Arabia's urban landscape and international image, but also become an important window to test its "Vision 2030" transformation achievements. Under the vision of integrating sustainability, connectivity, and quality of life, Saudi Arabia is attempting to convey its firm determination to move from an energy giant to an innovative economy through this grand event, and provide a "Riyadh sample" for future urban development in the Middle East and even globally. Editor/Xu Shengpeng