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Senior Saudi Officials Chart Technical Plans for Expo 2030

Observers said Vision 2030 illustrates how countries can support transformation and proactively anticipate structural changes based on a long-term vision. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Observers said Vision 2030 illustrates how countries can support transformation and proactively anticipate structural changes based on a long-term vision. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Senior Saudi Officials Chart Technical Plans for Expo 2030

Observers said Vision 2030 illustrates how countries can support transformation and proactively anticipate structural changes based on a long-term vision. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Observers said Vision 2030 illustrates how countries can support transformation and proactively anticipate structural changes based on a long-term vision. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

No sooner had Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced in October 2021 Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 that preparations for the nomination began with great momentum and enthusiasm.

All relevant government entities in the country participated and supported the effort, making the bid a central focus in the Kingdom.

Crown Prince Mohammed had emphasized that Expo 2030 would coincide with the fulfillment of Saudi Vision 2030, presenting an exceptional opportunity to showcase the achievements of the vision and share valuable lessons from this transformation journey.

He highlighted the competitive advantages boasted by Riyadh, as it stands as the “largest purchasing power in the Middle East” and possesses outstanding infrastructure.

Additionally, Riyadh is a cornerstone of economic growth in Saudi Arabia due to its immense size and economic influence.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, which is responsible for the comprehensive development of the Saudi capital, is also the government entity leading local efforts to host Expo 2030.

The Commission follows an administrative and technical governance approach that allows it to be responsible for all efforts aimed at achieving urban development in Riyadh.

The capital is paving its way to becoming one of the top 10 cities in the world in terms of urban economy, as affirmed by the CEO of the Commission during the presentation of Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 before the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions in Paris on Tuesday.

“We are ready to start working immediately upon our selection, and by February 2028, all preparations in Saudi Arabia will be completed to host Expo 2030,” said Ibrahim Al-Sultan, acting CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

“We are confident in our ability to hold an unprecedented world exhibition,” he stressed.

The strategy behind Saudi government agencies for the Expo 2030 project is embodied in the royal decree issued on December 25, 2021, on establishing a steering committee for Expo 2030 to oversee the city’s nomination.

This decree was followed by a directive on March 7, 2022, granting the committee an official status under the name of the “Technical Preparations Committee.”

Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Committee is headed by Al-Sultan.

The committee includes several senior government officials in Saudi Arabia, namely Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism; Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Finance; Faisal Al-Ibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning; Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, former Minister of Economy and Planning and Advisor to the Royal Court; Fahad Toonsi, Advisor to the Royal Court; and Hamed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture.

Additionally, it includes Fahad Al-Ruwaily, the Saudi Ambassador to France, and Fahd Hamidaddin, the CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority.

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Trump Exempts Mexico Goods from Tariffs for a Month, but Doesn’t Mention Canada

Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Trump Exempts Mexico Goods from Tariffs for a Month, but Doesn’t Mention Canada

Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)
Construction workers are seen on the site of a new development in Long Beach, California, March 5, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Mexico won't be required to pay tariffs on any goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade until April 2, but made no mention of a reprieve for Canada despite his Commerce secretary saying a comparable exemption was likely.

"After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, I have agreed that Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that falls under the USMCA Agreement," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This Agreement is until April 2nd."

Earlier on Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the one-month reprieve on hefty tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada that has been granted to automotive products is likely to be extended to all products that comply with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade.

Lutnick told CNBC he expected Trump to announce that extension on Thursday, a day after exempting automotive goods from the 25% tariffs he slapped on imports from Canada and Mexico earlier in the week.

Trump "is going to decide this today," Lutnick said, adding "it's likely that it will cover all USMCA-compliant goods and services."

"So if you think about it this way, if you lived under Donald Trump's US-Mexico-Canada agreement, you will get a reprieve from these tariffs now. If you chose to go outside of that, you did so at your own risk, and today is when that reckoning comes," he said.

Nonetheless, Trump's social media post made no mention of a reprieve for Canada, the other party to the USMCA deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as president.

Lutnick said his "off the cuff" estimate was that more than 50% of the goods imported from the two US neighbors - also its largest two trading partners - were compliant with the USMCA deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as president.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Lutnick's comments "promising" in remarks to reporters in Canada.

"That aligns with some of the conversations that we have been having with administration officials, but I'm going to wait for an official agreement to talk about Canadian response and look at the details of it," Trudeau said. "But it is a promising sign. But I will highlight that it means that the tariffs remain in place, and therefore our response will remain in place."

Lutnick emphasized that the reprieve would only last until April 2, when he said the administration plans to move ahead with reciprocal tariffs under which the US will impose levies that match those imposed by trading partners.

In the meantime, he said, the current hiatus is about getting fentanyl deaths down, which is the initial justification Trump used for the tariffs on Mexico and Canada and levies on Chinese goods that have now risen to 20%.

"On April 2, we're going to move with the reciprocal tariffs, and hopefully Mexico and Canada will have done a good enough job on fentanyl that this part of the conversation will be off the table, and we'll move just to the reciprocal tariff conversation," Lutnick said. "But if they haven't, this will stay on."

Indeed, Trudeau is expecting the US and Canada to remain in a trade war.

"I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future," he told reporters in Ottawa.