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Saudi-US-Chinese Alliance Launches Green Energy Investment Company

A field of solar panels at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City of Sciences and Technology. (Reuters)
A field of solar panels at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City of Sciences and Technology. (Reuters)
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Saudi-US-Chinese Alliance Launches Green Energy Investment Company

A field of solar panels at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City of Sciences and Technology. (Reuters)
A field of solar panels at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City of Sciences and Technology. (Reuters)

A Saudi-American-Chinese alliance announced the launch of a green energy investment company under the name, Skytower, which will be specialized in transferring the latest short and long energy storage solutions to enable the energy mix in Saudi Arabia.

This alliance came following a visit by a US-Chinese trade delegation to Saudi Arabia on May 29, as part of efforts to launch an international green energy consortium based in Riyadh, consisting of multinational companies, to invest in advanced technologies for sustainable green economy, with the aim to reach zero carbon emissions.

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 delegation stated that its objectives are based on the Saudi Vision 2030 and the Net Zero 2060 programs.

 

Green energy technology

Dr. Eric Fang, CEO of Skytower Zero Carbon industry Park, told Asharq Al-Awsat about green energy opportunities in the Kingdom and their importance to the global economy.

He emphasized that Saudi Arabia enjoyed vast wind and solar resources, with new energy storage technology that is driving the use of renewable energy.

He also pointed to the establishment of a complete supply chain in energy storage, at a time when Saudi Arabia is preparing to lead the world in the use of green energy.

He said he saw Saudi Arabia as a major force in driving the adoption of renewable energy transition towards a greener society, adding that the current ambitious plan to fuel the economy with 50 percent of green energy was evidence of the Kingdom’s commitment to establishing a net-zero society in the future.

Moreover, the addition of hydrogen and ammonia technology to the energy mix would drive energy transmission to a high speed, he remarked.

On the future of investment in zero carbon in Saudi Arabia, the CEO of Skytower said that future, or as Saudi Arabia calls it the zero-carbon society, is worth trillions. The Kingdom will lead the world in industrial transformation, digital transformation, research and development innovation, materials development, all of which are foundations for a zero carbon investment.

 

The future of Chinese companies in Saudi Arabia

On the opportunities available to Chinese companies in the Kingdom, Fang stressed that China’s investments in carbon removal, green manufacturing, green infrastructure development, and integrated renewable energy production that combines solar and wind energy, hydrogen, and ammonia, in addition to green biotechnology... were all excellent opportunities in the Kingdom.

According to Fang, all products that are manufactured in Saudi Arabia can be exported to the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, the United States, China, Asia and the European Union. This promotes the strategy of green industry development, which attracts Chinese enterprises, he underlined.

 

Opportunities for American companies in the Kingdom

The CEO of Skytower enumerated the opportunities available to American companies in Saudi Arabia, in the “technology applications market that covers not only the Kingdom, but also the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Africa and the European Union.”

He explained that the great American engineering and innovation skills were today at the heart of economic development around the world.

He added that Saudi Arabia represents a unique new market for American companies, with the capacity for manufacturing, research and development to help create a regional center for innovation to fuel Vision 2030 and the Net Zero 2060 Goal 2060.

 

Comprehensive global experiences

Fang shed light on the opportunities for Saudi-American-Chinese investment cooperation and the benefits that such alliance would bring to the world in the field of green energy and zero carbon.

He noted that the new consortium would benefit from the strength of innovation in the United States, the Chinese industry and the manufacturing strength of the Saudi market to build a unique comprehensive solution development and planning company, with a holistic approach for the supply chain and the sustainability of renewable energy sources, which in turn will drive an unprecedented healthy green industry development.

In short, Skytower will bring 40 years of Chinese industry growth management and policy experiences, 40 years of technological innovation in the United States that support China’s development experiences, and 40 years of China industrial park policy, government incentives, and management expertise. The alliance will also provide a systematic and integrated approach to the needs of the Saudi industry development, while understanding the requirements for the company to enter the market, the CEO concluded.

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Business

Britain's Pound, Stocks and Bonds Fall on Political Uncertainty, Global Inflation Angst

A view of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
A view of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
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Britain's Pound, Stocks and Bonds Fall on Political Uncertainty, Global Inflation Angst

A view of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
A view of 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL

British government bonds, stocks and sterling fell on Friday, as domestic political uncertainty clashed with global worries about an inflationary shock, leaving UK assets in the mire.

Sterling fell to a five-week low and is down almost 2% against the dollar this week, set for its biggest weekly drop since November 2024.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in a battle to hold on to power after his health minister Wes Streeting resigned from government, while others positioned themselves to challenge his leadership, following disastrous local election results last week.

Markets are concerned that a ⁠new leader may ⁠be willing to loosen fiscal policy more, with British government borrowing costs up sharply again and UK bank stocks selling off on Friday.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been offered a path for a possible leadership challenge after another Labour lawmaker said he would resign his parliamentary seat. If Burnham were to win the seat, he could then challenge for ⁠the party leadership.

"Market's fear is that Burnham would be more left leaning, and we could see further increase in deficits," Reuters quoted Jefferies economist Mohit Kumar as saying.

"Our base case is one of a managed exit for Starmer and Burnham likely becoming the next PM," he added.

The domestic political drama has coincided with another rise in energy prices on Friday and growing evidence that the economic damage from the Iran war is hurting.

US inflation data this week has shown consumers and factories are starting to see big increases in price pressures as a result of the war, which has ⁠pushed up the ⁠price of crude by over 50%.

The pound has tended to suffer against the dollar when tensions between Washington and Tehran flare or oil prices rise, given Britain's dependence on energy imports and the economy's sensitivity to higher fuel costs.

It was last down 0.3% on the day at $1.3364 after earlier touching $1.3335, its lowest level in over five weeks.

British bond yields jumped across the curve. The 10-year yield was last up almost 12 basis points (bps) at around 5.11%. Bond yields move inversely with prices.

Stocks also fell. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was last down 0.6%, while the more domestic-oriented FTSE 250 index of midcap stocks was down 1.1%.

UK banks were also down sharply, with Barclays and Lloyds down over 2% each.

Business

Oil Gains after Trump Says Xi Agrees Iran Cannot Have Nuclear Weapons

The current price of gasoline is shown at a gas station in Encinitas, California, US, May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The current price of gasoline is shown at a gas station in Encinitas, California, US, May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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Oil Gains after Trump Says Xi Agrees Iran Cannot Have Nuclear Weapons

The current price of gasoline is shown at a gas station in Encinitas, California, US, May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The current price of gasoline is shown at a gas station in Encinitas, California, US, May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Oil prices gained about 2% after US President Donald Trump said he and China's Xi Jinping agree Iran cannot have nuclear weapons and as concerns persisted over ship attacks and seizures despite Tehran saying about 30 vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude oil futures were up $1.77, or 1.67%, to $107.49 a barrel at 0642 GMT. Prices hit a session high of $107.99 earlier in the day.

US West Texas Intermediate futures were up $2.13, or 2.11%, ‌to $103.30 a ‌barrel.

For the week, Brent has climbed nearly 6%, ‌while ⁠WTI has jumped more ⁠than 7%, on uncertainty over the shaky ceasefire in the Iran conflict.

Trump said his patience with Iran is running out and he had agreed in talks with Xi that Tehran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

Xi did not comment on his discussions with Trump about Iran, although China's foreign ministry issued a statement.

"This conflict, which ⁠should never have happened, has no reason to continue," ‌the ministry said.

"With the Beijing summit not ‌delivering any breakthrough on Iran, market focus is back on the deadlock and ‌a blockaded Strait, with a tail risk of renewed military escalation," said Vandana ‌Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.

Among deals the market was looking for from the summit, Trump said China wants to buy oil from the United States.

In incidents around the Strait of Hormuz, a ship was reported seized by Iranian ‌personnel off the United Arab Emirates and headed for Iranian waters on Thursday, and an Indian cargo vessel carrying ⁠livestock from ⁠Africa to the UAE was sunk on Wednesday in waters off the coast of Oman.

The White House said Trump and Xi had agreed on the need to keep the shipping lane open.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said 30 vessels had crossed the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday evening, still far short of 140 that were typical daily before the war, but a substantial increase if confirmed.

Yang An, analyst at Haitong Futures, said the main driver of oil prices was still tight supply.

"Oil prices swung several times yesterday but still closed near the day's high," he said.

"Ships passing through the strait eased some market concerns, but not enough to change the strong trend driven by tight supply."

Business

China Stocks Drift as Trump-Xi Summit Offers Little to Excite Investors

President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
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China Stocks Drift as Trump-Xi Summit Offers Little to Excite Investors

President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
President Donald Trump talks with China's President Xi Jinping at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, Friday, May 15, 2026, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

China stocks wavered on Friday as a summit between US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping entered its last day, having produced few deals between the world's top two economies to excite investors so far.

China’s blue-chip CSI300 Index was largely flat and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1% by the lunch break. Both indexes swung between gains and losses through the morning session but remain close to recent peaks.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng fell 0.9% amid a risk-off mood in broader Asian markets, as investors' euphoria over tech stocks gave way to inflation fears amid rising wagers of US rate hikes this year.

Trump and Xi met at the ‌walled-off Zhongnanhai complex, a former imperial garden that houses the offices of Chinese ‌leaders, ⁠before Trump departed.

Traders ⁠were closely watching for any positive signals from the meeting, including a potential easing of tariffs, with the focus on whether a fragile trade truce struck when the leaders last met in October is extended.

"I think we were optimistically looking at the meeting and maybe half expecting some huge trade agreement to be proposed or announced and from that view, it has disappointed," said Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at ATFX Global.

Investor attention will be on whether there are detailed agreements announced after the two-day summit is over.

It ⁠was undecided whether the trade truce will be extended after it expires later ‌this year, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV ‌on Friday, but added that deals had been firmed up on Chinese purchases of farm goods and beef.

"This (summit) ‌was not a meeting aimed at a full reset of US-China relations," said Cliff Zhao, chief ‌economist at CCB International.

It was more about promoting high-level communication, reducing near-term uncertainty, and setting clearer boundaries for competition, he added.

THORNY GEOPOLITICS

Investors are focusing on geopolitical issues such as Iran and Taiwan, but it’s hard to make substantive progress, said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING.

"Actions will speak louder than words, and if we ‌see progress on Iran negotiations or shifts in stance on US arms sales to Taiwan, it may suggest that progress was made at this summit," ⁠said Song.

Trump told Fox ⁠News Channel that China has agreed to buy 200 Boeing jets, a number that was far fewer than analysts had expected. That sent shares of Boeing lower and China's aviation stocks fell more than 2%.

Chip stocks, meanwhile, jumped 4% after China's SMIC said foreign clients were shifting orders back to China. Shares in chip equipment maker Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) surged 17% on its strong order expectation.

Data showed China's new yuan loans contracted in April for the first time in nine months, sharply undershooting forecasts as seasonal factors and weak household credit demand dragged on lending in the world's second-largest economy.

In currencies, China's yuan remained close to the three-year high against the dollar it hit on Thursday.

The yuan retreated slightly after the People's Bank of China set the midpoint rate at 6.8415 per dollar, 439 pips weaker than a Reuters' estimate.

The yuan "isn’t likely to be impacted too much by the summit, nor is it likely to be a topic of conversation given the CNY has been on an appreciation trajectory," said ING's Song.