Digital cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China: features and prospects

The digitalization of the economy remains one of the dominant directions of the development of national economies, and international cooperation in the digital sphere is a priority area of interaction with external partners based on the needs and objectives of economic transformation. The study of digitalization and digital cooperation between countries with emerging markets is particularly relevant due to the need to systematize the features of this process from a theoretical and practical point of view and the possibility of adapting and using this experience for other actors. China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) attract scientific and practical interest as partner countries whose bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the digital sphere has an impact not only on these states, but also on third countries, primarily members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. The hypothesis of the article is that bilateral cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the field of digitalization contributes to a more active and comprehensive digital transformation of the Saudi economy and the solution of important social tasks within the framework of the «social contract» of this country. According to the author, important factors stimulating digital cooperation between the parties are not only the objective internal capabilities of both countries, but also external factors such as changes in regional and global geopolitical structures. The article shows that the main areas of digital cooperation between the parties are currently the 5G information and communication system, the data center and cloud computing industry, and the construction of smart cities. The author concludes that notable successes have already been noted in these areas, but it is important to extend digital cooperation to other areas, as well as solve remaining problems. As cooperation between the two sides deepens in the construction of digital infrastructure, cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the fields of digital economy, network security, and data management will continue to deepen.