Saudi Arabia, China Seek to Promote Cooperation in Green Housing Technology

Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail during his meetings in Beijing. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail during his meetings in Beijing. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, China Seek to Promote Cooperation in Green Housing Technology

Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail during his meetings in Beijing. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail during his meetings in Beijing. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail discussed with top executives of Chinese CITIC Group and CITIC Construction, cooperation opportunities in the field of green and sustainable housing technology.

Al-Hogail is currently on an official visit to Beijing to discuss exchange of expertise with Chinese institutions and companies and participate in the Saudi-Chinese Forum.

The event aims at attracting top Chinese companies to invest in Saudi Arabia while consolidating the two countries’ partnerships.

The forum will review the investment opportunities and advantages the Kingdom offers in infrastructure and housing. It will be attended by Saudi officials and investors, along with representatives of Chinese companies.

During his meetings on Monday, the Saudi minister discussed opportunities for cooperation in the field of green and sustainable housing technology, praising the efforts of CITIC in introducing and integrating advanced technologies to promote the construction sector in the Kingdom.

The meeting, which was attended by Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Beijing, Abdul Rahman Al-Harbi, touched on the progress in the implementation of a project comprising 20,000 housing units, where CITIC is coordinating between the National Housing Company and the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company on the one hand, and Chinese banks on the other.

Also on Monday, Al-Hogail met with representatives of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to discuss cooperation opportunities and the proposed structure for financing housing projects.

The Saudi minister visited the “Beijing Stages of Development Exhibition” on Sunday, to learn about China’s experience and explore modern best practices in the development and improvement of cities.

During his meeting with a number of executives specialized in housing and real estate, the minister discussed means of cooperation, exchange of experiences, as well as the investment opportunities offered by the Kingdom in the municipal and housing sectors.



GASTAT: Saudi Industrial Production Index Increases by 3.4% in November 2024

GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA
GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA
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GASTAT: Saudi Industrial Production Index Increases by 3.4% in November 2024

GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA
GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) said Thursday that the Industrial Production Index (IPI) statistics for November 2024 showed a 3.4% increase compared to the same month of the previous year.

This increase is driven by growth in mining and quarrying, manufacturing, water supply, sewerage, and waste management and remediation activities, GASTAT said.

Furthermore, the sub-index of mining and quarrying activity increased by 1.2%, and the sub-index of manufacturing activity increased by 7.2%.

The sub-index of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply activity recorded a decrease of 2.1%, and the sub-index of water supply, sewerage and waste management and remediation activities increased by 10.5%.

The IPI by main economic activities increased by 3.8% compared to the same month of the previous year, while the index of non-oil activities also increased by 2.4%.

GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. It is an economic indicator that reflects the relative changes in the volume of industrial output. It is calculated based on the industrial production survey.