Saudi Economy Ministry Signs MoU with Alfaisal University to Promote Economic Development

The signing of the agreement took place at the university's headquarters in Riyadh. SPA
The signing of the agreement took place at the university's headquarters in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Economy Ministry Signs MoU with Alfaisal University to Promote Economic Development

The signing of the agreement took place at the university's headquarters in Riyadh. SPA
The signing of the agreement took place at the university's headquarters in Riyadh. SPA

The Ministry of Economy and Planning and Alfaisal University signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote economic development and implement awareness programs and initiatives to serve the community, in line with achieving Saudi Vision 2030 goals.

The signing of the agreement took place at the university's headquarters in Riyadh.

The MoU was signed by Rakan bin Abdullah Al Alsheikh, Deputy Minister for Policies and Economic Planning at the Ministry of Economy and Planning, and princess Dr. Maha bint Meshari Al Saud, the Alfaisal University Vice President of External Relations and Advancement.

Under the MoU, the two parties will cooperate to promote economic development, activate academic research, implement awareness programs and initiatives to serve the community, as well as cooperate on various activities and events.

The MoU stipulates that the two sides cooperate to maximize the university’s economic return, form a network of joint opinion experts to provide feedback on various economic topics, and to exchange expertise in preparing and writing academic research and public policies in the field of economics.

The Ministry of Economy and Planning will provide consultations on the use of university resources such as student research, faculty members, and research laboratories on economic priority topics that support Saudi Vision 2030. It will offer facilities and cooperation in designing and formulating research project launch plans, and supervise a team of researchers from both sides, which will be assigned to prepare public policy studies and academic research for the Ministry.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.