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Al-Khorayef Discusses Expansion Plans of Brazilian Mining Giant Vale in Saudi Arabia

Al-Khorayef touring giant Carajas mines in the Amazon forests (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Al-Khorayef touring giant Carajas mines in the Amazon forests (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Al-Khorayef Discusses Expansion Plans of Brazilian Mining Giant Vale in Saudi Arabia

Al-Khorayef touring giant Carajas mines in the Amazon forests (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Al-Khorayef touring giant Carajas mines in the Amazon forests (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia and Brazil are seeking to expand partnerships in the mining sector, as the two countries enjoy important economic and investment relations. The Kingdom supplies Brazil with 16 percent of its market need for phosphate fertilizers through Maaden Company.
During a visit to Brazil, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef discussed with officials of the Brazilian mining giant Vale, the company’s expansion plans in the Kingdom and opportunities for cooperation in developing the Carajas mines in the Amazon forests, which produce over 300 million tons of iron ore annually.
On Sunday, the minister visited Vale’s Carajas mines, where he was briefed on advanced technologies used in mineral extraction and processing, including remote mine management and driverless trucks.
Accompanied by Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Mudaifer and other industry leaders, Al-Khorayef discussed with Vale officials prospects for transferring knowledge and expertise, particularly in mining within rainforests and nature reserves, and forming effective partnerships with local communities.
This visit comes as part of the minister’s tour to Brazil and Chile, which aims to strengthen bilateral relations and attract investments to the Kingdom in the industrial and mining sectors.
Brazil is the second largest iron ore producing country in the world, and has a long history in the mining sector, with the number of mines exceeding 3,000.
Vale works to develop a factory and logistics center for processing and producing iron pellets in the Ras Al-Khair Industrial City in the east of the Kingdom, with an investment exceeding SAR 4 billion ($1.06 billion), and a production capacity of up to 4 million tons annually of iron pellets, which is the main material for steel production.
Al-Khorayef had recently met with the CEO of Vale Mining Company, Eduardo Bartolomeo, in Brazil, to discuss the promising investment opportunities provided by the Saudi mining sector and the expansion plans in the Kingdom.

 

 

 

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Business

Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
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Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)

E-commerce sales in Saudi Arabia via "mada" cards soared to an all-time monthly high in October 2025, surpassing SAR30.7 billion.

The surge in sales represents a 68% year-on-year increase, totaling about SAR12.4 billion more than the SAR18.3 billion recorded in October 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) statistical bulletin on Wednesday.

E-commerce sales for the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 hit SAR88.3 billion, up 15.2% from the previous quarter, representing an increase of about SAR11.6 billion over the SAR76.6 billion recorded in Q2.

On a monthly basis, e-commerce sales in October rose 6%, gaining approximately SAR1.6 billion over September’s total of SAR29.1 billion.

From January to October, "mada" data showed e-commerce sales grew 47.3%, rising by around SAR9.9 billion over the SAR20.9 billion recorded in January.

These figures cover transactions made via "mada" cards on e-commerce websites, apps, and digital wallets, and do not include credit-card payments.

Business

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
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Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) celebrated the launch of its first direct flynas flight to Moscow, operating three weekly flights between Jeddah and Vnukovo International Airport.

This initiative, in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Air Connectivity Program, boosts air links between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

It marks KAIA's third direct Russian destination, following Makhachkala and Mineralnye Vody, which were inaugurated earlier this month by Azimuth Airlines.

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location.

Business

China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
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China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

China on Wednesday listed more sectors eligible for foreign investment incentives, from tax breaks to preferential ​land use, in its latest effort to stem a prolonged decline in overseas capital inflows.

Under the 2025 edition of the catalogue of industries for encouraging foreign investment, China added more than 200 and revised about 300, with a ‌focus on ‌advanced manufacturing, modern services and ‌green ⁠and ​high-tech ‌sectors, the list jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the commerce ministry showed.

The new catalogue, which takes effect on February 1, 2026, replaces the 2022 version and continues a policy framework ⁠that offers foreign-invested enterprises tariff exemptions on imported equipment, preferential ‌land pricing, reduced corporate income ‍tax rates in ‍designated regions and tax credits for reinvestment ‍of profits.

The catalogue also extends incentives to central and western regions, as well as the northeast and Hainan, as Beijing seeks to attract ​more foreign investment into less developed areas.

China has in recent months ⁠taken a raft of measures to boost foreign investment, including pilot programs in Beijing, Shanghai and other regions to expand market access in services such as telecoms, healthcare and education, amid trade tensions with the United States.

Foreign direct investment in China totaled 693.2 billion yuan ($98.84 billion) from January to November this year, down 7.5% from the ‌same period last year, data from the commerce ministry showed.