Wedoany.com Report, On March 10, during the Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings conference call, Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, revealed that the company is considering increasing its investment in refining and petrochemical businesses in China. Nasser pointed out that the Chinese market is vast and offers lower construction costs, making it a key focus of the company's strategic layout.

Nasser detailed Aramco's existing investments in China, which include stakes in refining and petrochemical joint ventures in provinces such as Fujian, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, and Zhejiang. Among these, the newly established Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Co., Ltd. project in Panjin, Liaoning, in which Aramco holds a 30% stake, is expected to commence production in 2026. The project includes a refinery with a daily crude oil processing capacity of 300,000 barrels and a chemical plant with an annual production capacity of 1.65 million tons of ethylene and 2 million tons of paraxylene. Aramco is the main crude oil supplier for these joint ventures.

Nasser stated: "We are continuously investing in China. Currently, some plants are under construction, and we are also evaluating additional investments. Our liquid-to-chemicals strategy is primarily focused on China, as China accounts for approximately half of the global chemical market. The cost of undertaking projects in China is only about two-thirds of that in other regions, and the Chinese market is central to the chemical industry. Therefore, proximity to the market is a key part of our strategy, which explains why we are concentrating our liquid-to-chemicals focus in China."

Nasser also mentioned that China is a "primary supplier country" for Aramco's products and services, adding: "In terms of crude oil supply, China is also a significant market." Aramco does not separately disclose profitability data for its chemical business, but the adjusted EBIT for its downstream segment (including chemicals) increased year-over-year in the fourth quarter, rising from $249 million to $3.0 billion. The company stated that rising refining margins partially offset the decline in chemical margins.

In terms of performance, Aramco's adjusted net income for fiscal year 2025 was $104.7 billion, with $25.1 billion in the fourth quarter. These figures reflect the company's robust performance in the global petrochemical industry.