SABIC Hosts First Boao Forum for Asia in Riyadh on Monday

Saudi capital, Riyadh (SPA)
Saudi capital, Riyadh (SPA)
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SABIC Hosts First Boao Forum for Asia in Riyadh on Monday

Saudi capital, Riyadh (SPA)
Saudi capital, Riyadh (SPA)

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) will host in Riyadh on Monday the first Boao Forum for Asia conference under the theme “Energy Transformation for a Sustainable Future” to boost international cooperation and increase integration among various sectors.
Building on its 16-year strategic partnership with the forum, SABIC remains committed to enhancing cooperation among companies and countries linked to product value chains, a statement from the corporation said.
In addition to supporting the annual conferences, SABIC has also participated in several related conferences, including the “Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum” and the “Global Economic Development and Security Forum” under the Boao Forum for Asia, where SABIC shared its rich expertise in innovation and sustainability.
SABIC has enhanced its commitment to the Chinese market in recent years through the forum's leading role in promoting regional cooperation and sustainable and comprehensive growth.
It has collaborated with local partners to expand its presence since its entry into the country in the 1980s.
SABIC is dedicated to supporting high-quality economic development in China by offering more innovative solutions covering the entire value chain.
It has increased its activity in renewable energy applications in China to facilitate its transition towards sustainable development through an innovation-based strategy, which also forms a significant part of the company's global roadmap towards carbon neutrality.
As a leader in the chemical industry, SABIC seeks to support the transition in the energy sector towards a sustainable future by enhancing cooperation and innovation.
It is worth noting that China continues to adopt further economic reforms and enhance the Sino-Saudi strategic partnership, and SABIC continues to benefit from the Boao Forum for Asia as a prominent platform to enhance its participation in various industries and contribute to the strategic integration between China's Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Vision 2030.

 



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.