CSR core to strategy

Aramco Asia's corporate social responsibility endeavors not only reflect its values and commitment to local communities, but also help address environmental and sustainability challenges. Globally, proactive corporate citizenship is an essential part of everything the company does.

In China, Aramco is pursuing a Clean Air Asia effort, with Tsinghua University's Environmental Science and Engineering School, to support air quality and climate change, low emissions and urban development. In terms of achieving the goal of creating a knowledge society, the company has formed a partnership with the prestigious Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science to demonstrate appreciation for the organization's efforts to nurture academic leaders and talents in the fields of mathematical and systems science. The company has also offered scholarships to students - who are potential company recruits - from Sun Yat-Sen University.

Building relationships with key opinion leaders in China, from academicians to industry regulators and policymakers, from government and non-government agencies to media, plays a crucial role in shaping the energy industry's future. For example, in November, a delegation of 19 Chinese representatives visited Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran and various facilities in the country to deepen their understanding of the company's energy supply role.

A new chapter

There are many reasons to highlight the achievements of people-to-people exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia.

Thanks to the efforts of the two governments, some 2,000 Saudi and Chinese students have been able to study and research in one another's countries since their exchange program was launched in the late 1990s.

Recently the program has been expanded in the Asia-Pacific region so that more students can benefit.

In 2015, more than 120 students sponsored by Saudi Aramco enrolled in A-level Asian universities: 57 in China, 32 in South Korea, 32 in Japan, and, for the first time, four in Singapore.

By the end of 2015, 67 Saudi students had successfully completed their degree programs and graduated from schools in Asia - 34 in China, 17 in Japan and 16 in South Korea. These graduates are now serving in positions that optimally draw on their education, language and cultural backgrounds.

China's partnership with Saudi Aramco is mutually beneficial, multi-layered and continually evolving. With such firm foundations already established, it is a positive win-win partnership that can only go from strength to strength.