SABIC at BFA 2021: A Cohesive, Inclusive, and Sustainable World Awaits

SABIC, a global leading diversified chemical company, today underlined the necessity of global collaboration, during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021. Attending as an Honorary Strategic Partner, SABIC further manifested its thought leadership and commitment to China and Asia as a whole in a post pandemic era.

Led by Yousef Al-Benyan, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO and member of the BFA Board of Directors, the SABIC delegation joined various top-level strategic conversations. President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of BFA Annual Conference 2021 on April 20. Afterwards, on behalf of SABIC Chairman Khalid H. Al-Dabbagh, as the first speaker from the global business community and the only corporate speaker from the Middle East, Al-Benyan joined many other state leaders and international organization heads to deliver keynote speeches.

In his speech, Al-Benyan stated, 'The winners that emerge from the current turbulence will be those who embrace the need for transformation, the digital revolution, and the advantages of collaboration, as SABIC has been advocating all along. SABIC believes that in the spirit of collaboration we can overcome the biggest of challenges to build a cohesive, inclusive and sustainable world.'

Themed 'A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation', the 2021 BFA Annual Conference comes at an intersection of the forum's 20th anniversary. This year, the forum was held in a hybrid format covering both online and offline channels, with focuses ranging from addressing the sustained global impact of COVID-19 to accelerating China's 'dual circulation' development pattern.

Prior to the opening plenary, on April 19, Al-Benyan participated in a panel discussion titled 'Global Economic Outlook 2021', joining representatives from the world's renowned financial and business establishments, including Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund; Jacob J. Lew, Former Secretary of the Treasury, U.S.; Zhu Min, Chairman, National Institution of Financial Research, Tsinghua University; and top executives from Bridgewater Associates, Blackstone and Primavera Capital Group.

'The pandemic is a catalyst that has triggered a profound reaction. If we are to adapt and thrive, we must embrace new skills, new priorities and disruptive ideas,' stated Al-Benyan. 'SABIC will continue to grow in China with the widest extension of collaboration, to achieve win-win benefits and to foster a better future for the global business community.'

At the side-line of the event, SABIC concretized its statements through exhibitions of advanced and innovative solutions across five mega trends including Food & Water, Urbanization, Energy Efficiency, Healthcare and Sustainability, which were specially designed to underscore the company's ambitions of driving the circular economy.

Founded in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis, BFA has for 20 years cultivated and bridged relationships between China, Asia and the rest of the world. Since 2009, SABIC has attended the BFA for 13 consecutive years, became the forum's first Strategic Partner in 2014, and has been further named Honorary Strategic Partner since 2020, effectively demonstrating its China commitment and the company belief of Chemistry that MattersTM.