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Global Health Exhibition 2024 Kicks off in Riyadh with SAR50 Billion in Investments

The seventh edition of the Global Health Exhibition kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
The seventh edition of the Global Health Exhibition kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
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Global Health Exhibition 2024 Kicks off in Riyadh with SAR50 Billion in Investments

The seventh edition of the Global Health Exhibition kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
The seventh edition of the Global Health Exhibition kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

The seventh edition of the Global Health Exhibition kicked off in Riyadh on Monday.

Held under the slogan "Invest in Health", the exhibition was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, supported by the Health Sector Transformation Program, and organized by Tahaluf, a joint venture between Informa PLC, the Saudi Arabian Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP), and the Event Investment Fund (EIF).

At the opening ceremony, Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel highlighted the significance of health transformation in the sector.

"Our goal is for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to serve as a hub for addressing the current and future major global challenges by establishing a unified government approach under Vision 2030, in accordance with the principle of health in all policies," he stressed.

"This will be achieved by fostering the development of procedures that support investment in innovation, constructing a health system that leverages the power of digital solutions and artificial intelligence, developing a local health workforce, and attracting the best talents from around the world," he added.

"These are the motivations that drive us to advance our health transformation with practical steps and concrete actions," he went on to say.

"We are proud that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized Saudi Arabia's food products as being free of trans fats, placing the Kingdom at the forefront among countries receiving this recognition," he remarked.

The WHO also announced that the Kingdom, represented by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), is the first country in the region to achieve the fourth maturity level in the regulation of medicines and vaccines, which is the highest level in the organization's classification.

Al-Jalajel also noted the expansion of Saudi Board Programs to 170 health programs, which have now been adopted by 3,000 international practitioners.

He announced the launch of the second generation of Taakkad Centers and the digital twin, which will be part of the Sehhaty application. Additionally, he mentioned that the Seha Virtual Hospital has been registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest virtual health hospital in the world, and that several distinguished global medical talents have been granted premium residency opportunities.

The exhibition, which runs through October 21 to 23, announced projects valued at over SAR 50 billion, including several key initiatives. Among the most prominent was the announcement of a SAR 4 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing deal among NUPCO, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi.

Other major projects included SAR 5 billion expansions at Fakeeh Care Group, the establishment of five primary care centers and two hospitals by Almoosa Health Group valued at SAR 3 billion, the acquisition of Al-Salam and Al-Ahsa hospitals in the Eastern Province by Dallah Health, with a total capacity of 749 beds, and the construction of Dallah Hospital in Riyadh with a capacity of 250 beds and the potential for expansion, valued at SAR 4 billion.

Several agreements and partnerships were signed on the sidelines of the exhibition, including a partnership between the Council of Health Insurance and Alfaisal University, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and an MoU between the Ministry of Health, represented by the Agency of Engineering Affairs and Supply, and the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification.

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Trump Says He Will Raise US Global Tariff Rate from 10% to 15%

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, DC, US, February 20, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, DC, US, February 20, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Says He Will Raise US Global Tariff Rate from 10% to 15%

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, DC, US, February 20, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, DC, US, February 20, 2026. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will raise temporary tariffs on almost all US imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum level allowed under the law, after the US Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program as invalid.

Trump had immediately announced a 10% across-the-board tariff on Friday after the court's decision, which ‌found the president ‌had exceeded his authority when ‌he ⁠imposed an array ⁠of higher rates under an economic emergency law.

The new levies are grounded in a separate law, known as Section 122, that allows tariffs up to 15% but requires congressional approval to extend them after 150 days.

In a ⁠social media post on Saturday, ‌Trump said he ‌would use that period to work on issuing other "legally ‌permissible" tariffs. The administration intends to rely ‌on two other statutes that permit import taxes on specific products or countries based on investigations into national security or unfair trade practices.

"I, as President of ‌the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% ⁠Worldwide ⁠Tariff on Countries, many of which have been 'ripping' the US off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level," he wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump has shown little sign of backing off his global trade war in the hours since the court's 6-3 decision, attacking individual justices in personal terms and insisting he retained the power to impose tariffs as he sees fit.

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Asian Economies Weigh Impact of Fresh Trump Tariff Moves, Confusion

Shoppers crowd for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at the Dihua Street market in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Feb. 15, 202. (AP)
Shoppers crowd for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at the Dihua Street market in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Feb. 15, 202. (AP)
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Asian Economies Weigh Impact of Fresh Trump Tariff Moves, Confusion

Shoppers crowd for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at the Dihua Street market in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Feb. 15, 202. (AP)
Shoppers crowd for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at the Dihua Street market in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Feb. 15, 202. (AP)

US trading partners in Asia started weighing fresh uncertainties on Saturday after President Donald Trump vowed to impose a new tariff on imports, hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping levies he used to launch a global trade war.

The court's ruling invalidated a number of tariffs that the Trump administration had imposed on Asian export powerhouses from China and South Korea to Japan and Taiwan, the world's largest chip maker and a key player in tech supply chains.

Within hours, Trump said he would impose a new 10% duty on US imports from all countries starting on Tuesday for an initial 150 days under a different law, prompting analysts to warn that more measures could follow, threatening more confusion for businesses and investors.

In Japan, a government spokesman said Tokyo "will carefully examine the content of this ruling and ‌the Trump administration's response ‌to it, and respond appropriately."

China, which is preparing to host Trump in ‌late ⁠March, has yet to ⁠formally comment or launch any counter moves with the country on an extended holiday. But a senior financial official in China-ruled Hong Kong described the US situation as a "fiasco".

Christopher Hui, Hong Kong's secretary for financial services and the treasury, Trump's new levy served to underscore Hong Kong's "unique trade advantages", Hui said.

"This shows the stability of Hong Kong's policies and our certainty ... it shows global investors the importance of predictability," Hui said at a media briefing on Saturday when asked how the new US tariff's would affect the city's economy.

Hong Kong operates as a separate customs territory from mainland China, a ⁠status that has shielded it from direct exposure to US tariffs targeting Chinese goods.

While ‌Washington has imposed duties on mainland exports, Hong Kong-made products have ‌generally faced lower tariff rates, allowing the city to maintain trade flows even as Sino-US tensions escalated.

Before the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump's ‌tariff push had strained Washington's diplomatic relations across Asia, particularly for export-reliant economies integrated into US-bound supply chains.

Friday's ruling ‌concerns only the tariffs launched by Trump on the basis of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, intended for national emergencies.

Trade policy monitor Global Trade Alert estimated that by itself, the ruling cuts the trade-weighted average US tariff almost in half from 15.4% to 8.3%.

For those countries on higher US tariff levels, the change is more dramatic. For China, Brazil and ‌India, it will mean double-digit percentage point cuts, albeit to still-high levels.

In Taiwan, the government said it was monitoring the situation closely, noting that the US government ⁠had yet to determine how ⁠to fully implement its trade deals with many countries.

"While the initial impact on Taiwan appears limited, the government will closely monitor developments and maintain close communication with the US to understand specific implementation details and respond appropriately," a cabinet statement said.

Taiwan has signed two recent deals with the US - one was a Memorandum of Understanding last month that committed Taiwan to invest $250 billion and the second was signed this month to lowering reciprocal tariffs.

Analysts say the Supreme Court's ruling against Trump's more aggressive tariff measures may offer little relief for the global economy. They warned of looming confusion as trading nations brace for moves by Trump to find other means of using levies to circumvent the ruling.

Thailand's Trade Policy and Strategy Office head Nantapong Chiralerspong said the ruling might even benefit its exports as uncertainty drove a fresh round of "front loading", where shippers race to move goods to the US, fearing even higher tariffs.

In corporate disclosures tracked by Reuters, firms across the Asia-Pacific region reported financial hits, supply shifts and withdrawals as levies escalated through 2025 and early 2026.

Business

Brazil, India Eye Critical Minerals Deal as Leaders Meet

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss efforts to increase trade links. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss efforts to increase trade links. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
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Brazil, India Eye Critical Minerals Deal as Leaders Meet

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss efforts to increase trade links. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss efforts to increase trade links. Ludovic MARIN / AFP/File

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are set to meet in New Delhi on Saturday, seeking to boost cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths.

Brazil has the world's second-largest reserves of these elements, which are used in everything from electric vehicles, solar panels and smartphones to jet engines and guided missiles.

India, seeking to cut its dependence on top exporter China, has been expanding domestic production and recycling while scouting for new suppliers.

Lula, heading a delegation of more than a dozen ministers as well as business leaders, arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for a global summit, reported AFP.

Officials have said that in talks with Modi on Saturday, the two leaders are expected to sign a memorandum on critical minerals and discuss efforts to increase trade links.

The world's most populous nation is already the 10th largest market for Brazilian exports, with bilateral trade topping $15 billion in 2025.

The two countries have set a trade target of $20 billion to be achieved by 2030.

With China holding a near-monopoly on rare earths production, some countries are seeking alternative sources.

Rishabh Jain, an expert with the Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water think tank, said India's growing cooperation with Brazil on critical minerals complements recent supply chain engagements with the United States, France and the European Union.

While these partnerships grant India access to advanced technologies, finance and high-end processing capabilities, "Global South alliances are critical for securing diversified, on-ground resource access and shaping emerging rules of global trade", Jain told AFP.

- 'Challenges' -

Modi and Lula are also expected to discuss global economic headwinds and strains on multilateral trade systems after both of their countries were hit by US tariffs in 2025, prompting the two leaders to call for stronger cooperation.

Washington has since pledged to roll back duties on Indian goods under a trade deal announced earlier this month.

"Lula and Modi will have the opportunity to exchange views on... the challenges to multilateralism and international trade," said Brazilian diplomat Susan Kleebank, the secretary for Asia and the Pacific.

Brazil is India's biggest partner in Latin America.

Key Brazilian exports to India include sugar, crude oil, vegetable oils, cotton and iron ore.

Demand for iron ore has been driven by rapid infrastructure expansion and industrial growth in India, which is on track to become the world's fourth largest economy.

Brazilian firms are also expanding in the country, with Embraer and Adani Group announcing plans last month to build aircraft in India.

Lula addressed the AI Impact summit in Delhi on Thursday, calling for a multilateral and inclusive global governance framework for artificial intelligence.

He will travel on to South Korea for meetings with President Lee Jae Myung and to attend a business forum.