The New Book by the Former Saudi Arabia Minister of Health.
He wrote, "There were several challenges before us, the first of which was the issue of proximity and harmony between the place where the samples were taken and the laboratories that the Chinese company (BGI) would build...The choice fell on multiple places in all regions of the Kingdom through different stages. Then the laboratories were equipped by the Chinese company, which proved over time that our choice of it was a successful choice."
In 2020, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia selected BGI Group's Huo-Yan laboratory to launch its national PCR testing program.
According to Ma Zhe, the Head of the West Asian Region at BGI, "The project was very challenging. They needed not only reagents and products, but also to help Saudi Arabia build its testing capabilities."
From 2020 to 2021, BGI sent 750 people to Saudi Arabia to build and operate five laboratories across the Kingdom. In addition, BGI trained 430 laboratory operators for Saudi Arabia, helping the Saudi National Center for Disease Control and Prevention establish high-throughput sequencing capabilities and helping the local areas to establish testing capabilities. This cooperation also made Saudi Arabia aware of the importance of improving local precision medical testing capabilities.
In recent years, BGI Group has held discussions with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health and the Public Health Authority, and has signed multiple cooperation agreements and memorandums to actively assist in the implementation of Saudi Arabia's "2030 Vision".
Dr. Yin Ye and Saudi Arabia officials jointly witnessed the signing of MOU between the two sides.
In June 2023, Dr. Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Group, conducted a working visit to Saudi Arabia to deepen cooperation with relevant government departments and partners, and attended 10th Arab-China Business Conference. At the meeting, BGI Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Environment, Water Resources and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, to support the implementation of the Green Saudi initiative.
BGI will continue to promote friendly cooperation with Saudi Arabia in public health, scientific research cooperation, agricultural modernization, conservation of biological genetic resources, ecological environment protection, talent training and other fields.