Riyadh Witnesses Completion of International Green Energy Alliance

 Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Witnesses Completion of International Green Energy Alliance

 Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials at the signing ceremony. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh witnessed on Sunday the signing of an agreement between the Global Green Energy Alliance and the Saudi Ministry of Investment, which seeks to adopt the next generation projects for sustainable development and green energy.  

The agreement aims to facilitate the access of the alliance members to the Saudi market, support green energy projects, and reinforce the Kingdom’s plan to reach carbon neutrality.  

The coalition includes US and Chinese non-governmental organizations that share economic and environmental goals, and seek to build a new model for a sustainable, low-carbon future. 

The coalition works to implement “a practical path rather than political solutions”, based on concrete economic and social benefits.  

The delegation of the Global Alliance for Green Energy provided the concerned authorities with a number of proposals that strengthen joint efforts to build a superior manufacturing base in Saudi Arabia and to take advantage of the country’s geographic location and multi-field talents.  

The members of the alliance are working on projects that cover advanced long-term energy storage, such as the Energy Vault project, which is currently being completed in China, on the coast of the Yellow Sea. The project manages 14 cities and five regions.  

Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Meleihi, Chairman of Excellence Holding Company - the local partner of the Global Alliance for Green Energy - explained that the alliance aims to attract a large number of Chinese industrial companies to the Kingdom, to manufacture green energy materials and products, and produce green energy for the operation of factories.  

He stressed that the US-Saudi delegation held several meetings with Saudi authorities, including the Public Investment Fund, the Ministry of Investment and Aramco, where the Excellence Holding Company organized and provided advice and ways to comply with the specifications specified in the policy documents recently issued by the Kingdom.  

According to Al-Meleihi, the meetings with the US-Chinese delegation reviewed ways to transform the idea of the Global Green Energy Alliance into a reality from Riyadh, and to enhance joint cooperation between members of the alliance and official authorities in the field of industry, green energy projects and zero carbon emissions. 



E-commerce Giant Alibaba Has Completed 3-year 'Rectification' Period

Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
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E-commerce Giant Alibaba Has Completed 3-year 'Rectification' Period

Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters

China's State Administration of Market Regulation issued a statement on Friday saying Alibaba Group had completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior.
In 2021, the regulator slapped a record $2.75 billion fine on the e-commerce giant for abusing its market position by forcing merchants on its platforms not to work with rival platforms.
The regulator's statement said Alibaba's rectification work had achieved "good results" and that it would continue to "guide" Alibaba to continue to "regulate its operations and improve its compliance and quality."
The fine levied on Alibaba in 2021 came during a period of intense scrutiny for the business empire founded by billionaire Jack Ma, Reuters reported. A $37 billion IPO by the finance arm he founded, Ant Group, was also scuttled following Ma's public critique of the country's regulatory system in late 2020.
Alibaba, in its own statement, described the regulator's announcement on Friday as a "new starting point for development" and said it would continue to "promote the healthy development of the platform economy and create more value for society."