The sea breeze in Suhar Port in February is salty. The joint solar polycrystalline silicon factory has connected the entire process, and high-purity silicon materials have been produced for the first time in the Middle East. The entire equipment has been built according to the Chinese plan. This coast was known as the gateway to China hundreds of years ago, with ships carrying spices and porcelain; Today, the entire photovoltaic and battery material industry chain is docked. Jassim Saif Jadidi, Director of the Technical Office of the Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry of Oman, recently opened a list of ten Chinese funded related industrial projects located in Suhar, Dukum, and Hazan.

Ten projects divided into three locations

Suhar dominates six out of the three regions, with a focus on solar energy technology, battery materials, steel processing, and automotive assembly. They are in different stages: some factories have already started production, some are under construction, and some commercial operations have not yet been launched. The total amount of the six disclosed projects is approximately 15.19 billion US dollars, but this is the proposed investment cost, not the invested funds, and due to different stages, it is not directly comparable to official foreign direct investment statistics. As of the end of June 2026, China's recorded direct investment in Oman was 903.8 million riyals, and by the end of 2025 it was 866.2 million riyals, which is on par with the proposed costs on the list. Jadidi attached the list to Oman's 2040 manufacturing strategy: industrial diversification, introduction of advanced technology, integration of Omani manufacturers into the global value chain, opportunities for technology transfer, local supplier cultivation, skilled employment, and export growth. China has become Oman's largest trading partner and third largest source of investment, and both sides are moving from buying and selling goods to jointly building factories.

Suhar made chains

Suhar's six projects have almost placed a new energy industry chain next to the port. The factory invested $1.6 billion by United Solar Polycrystalline Silicon Company has started preliminary operations in February, with a designed annual production capacity of 100000 tons of high-purity polycrystalline silicon after full capacity, which is a key raw material for solar panel manufacturing. The lithium-ion battery negative electrode material factory invested by Zhongke Electric with 1 billion US dollars started construction in May, with plans to form an annual production capacity of 200000 tons in three phases, targeting the international market driven by electric vehicles and energy storage technology. JA Solar's $564 million solar cell and module project, and Jietai Solar's $700 million solar cell project, have further increased Suhar's concentration in the photovoltaic related industry; JA Solar's previously disclosed plan is to have an annual production capacity of 6 gigawatts of batteries and 3 gigawatts of components, radiating to the Middle East and Europe in a co construction mode, while Jetech's target is 5 gigawatts of batteries. In addition, Jinnan Steel and Vale participated in a $624 million iron ore beneficiation and processing project, as well as the development of cloud computing and data centers related to the joint project achievement company, the latter of which did not disclose its investment amount. From silicon to batteries, from negative electrode materials to computing power, ports are no longer just loading and unloading goods.

From paper to workshop

The largest amount in Dukum is Oman Wanfang - China Arab Industrial City, with a listed value of 10.7 billion US dollars. This is the valuation corresponding to industrial development projects and should not be interpreted as invested funds. The information provided does not specify the promised or realized amount. The park starts from barren beaches, and Dukumhong Pipe Factory focuses on composite pipelines for the oil and gas industry. Its products are not only supplied locally but also exported externally; The green steel and downstream industry activities of Qingshan Holdings Group are also here, and no investment amount has been provided for either of them. The tenth project is located in Hazan Economic City. China Spruce Group has signed an agreement to develop electric and hybrid vehicle assembly facilities, which may extend Oman's manufacturing industry to the automotive sector, but commercial output has not yet been established. Intergovernmental synchronous paving: The Oman China Joint Committee meeting held in Beijing in December 2025 discussed the proposed comprehensive industrial park for renewable energy supply chain, and agreed to establish a working group covering trade, investment, and digital commerce, as well as the construction of intelligent warehouses and distribution centers in economic and free zones. For Oman, the next challenge is how to transform these investments into sustainable industrial activities: establishing connections between manufacturers and local suppliers, developing technological skills, and expanding markets for products manufactured in Oman. The list can be written overnight, but the skills in the workshop will grow day by day.Editor/Yang Meiling