Oman and China Explore Investment Cooperation Across Special Economic Zones
Oman's Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) and China's Hainan Province held talks on September 7, 2026, on deeper investment cooperation across Oman's special economic zones, free zones, and industrial cities. The meeting covered coordination between economic zones and ports, the development of specialized industrial clusters, and the exchange of expertise in zone management, with both sides agreeing to keep exploring opportunities together.
The zones on the table
Duqm Special Economic Zone, on Oman's central Arabian Sea coast, is the largest of the country's special economic zones and anchors much of the current investment activity. It combines a deep-water port, dry dock, refinery and petrochemical facilities, and an industrial free zone, and it announced $7.5 billion in new investment commitments in June 2026. That figure includes a $500 million Chinese-backed battery-anode materials project already under development, alongside an OMR 320 million Saudi-backed housing project delivering more than 2,000 residential units — evidence that Duqm is already drawing capital from multiple countries, not just China.
Sohar, on the Gulf of Oman coast, pairs one of the region's major industrial ports with an established industrial city and was referenced in the talks as part of coordinating port and zone activity.
Sultan Haitham City, in Al-Buraimi governorate near the UAE border, represents a newer addition to OPAZ's network and was raised as part of the broader zone portfolio under discussion.
Together, these three sites form the core of what OPAZ is offering to prospective partners: coastal and inland locations, port access, and existing industrial activity to build on.
Existing momentum across OPAZ's zones
This meeting builds on a broader pattern of growth. Total committed investment across OPAZ's zones reached OMR 22.4 billion in 2025, up 6.8% year-on-year, with OMR 1.4 billion in new investment added during the year — 97% of it in industrial projects. China is already present in this picture through the Duqm battery-anode project, so this meeting reads as an effort to build on an existing relationship rather than start one from scratch.
What OPAZ is offering
The Authority pointed to Oman's strategic location, regulatory flexibility, and openness to regional and global markets, alongside port, airport, and logistics infrastructure, as the basis for continued cooperation. Specific ownership rules, tax terms, or other investor conditions weren't detailed in this round of talks — those would surface in a formal agreement or published regulation if one follows.
The takeaway for foreign investors
The immediate news is a bilateral conversation rather than a new policy, but it points to something concrete: Oman's zones, and Duqm in particular, are already attracting multinational industrial capital, and OPAZ is actively working to expand that base. For investors comparing Gulf zones, it's a reason to keep Oman's network on the list alongside more established hubs.
At OGMC, we track developments like this across the region and help clients assess when a signal is worth acting on.
