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Saudi Arabia Expands Efforts to Integrate into Global Supply Chains

Al-Falih speaking during the 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Al-Falih speaking during the 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Expands Efforts to Integrate into Global Supply Chains

Al-Falih speaking during the 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Al-Falih speaking during the 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia is intensifying its efforts to secure access to essential materials, promote local manufacturing, enhance sustainability, and strengthen its participation in global supply chains. This follows Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih’s announcement of nine new agreements, alongside 25 additional deals under review, under the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (Jusoor).
Speaking during the 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh, Al-Falih described these agreements as a major step toward building more resilient and efficient supply chains in the Kingdom.
He noted that the program, which reflects the vision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, forms part of the National Investment Strategy and is supported by government programs such as the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP).
Al-Falih highlighted Saudi Arabia’s plans to facilitate access to critical minerals, promote local manufacturing, and expand its footprint in global green energy markets. He emphasized that “green supply” is a fundamental pillar of the initiative, supported by investments in renewable energy.
The Kingdom aims to develop 100 new investment opportunities across 25 value chains, including projects in green energy and artificial intelligence (AI), he underlined.
The government is also offering incentives for companies to invest in special economic zones and aims to attract investments in emerging sectors such as semiconductors and digital manufacturing. Al-Falih stressed the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors in advancing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals.
He reiterated the government’s full commitment to realizing this vision, with ministries continuing to support this strategic initiative focused on sustainable development and the localization of advanced industries.
Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef announced that Saudi Arabia has attracted over $160 billion in investments to its market—nearly triple previous figures. Capital in the mining sector has grown to $1 billion, while investments in mineral wealth have exceeded $260 million.
Al-Khorayef underlined the Kingdom’s commitment to building strong, reliable partnerships through strategies that prioritize supply chain development and sustainability. He identified the Jusoor initiative as a key mechanism for linking Saudi Arabia to global supply chains, tackling challenges such as energy transitions and the growing demand for critical minerals.
For his part, Minister of State and Cabinet Member Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh, who also serves as Secretary-General of the Localization and Balance of Payments Committee, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s strategic investments in infrastructure, saying that these efforts aim to position the Kingdom as a leading global logistics hub.

 

 

 

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China State Media Warn Trump against Mutually Destructive Tariff War

A shopper walks with his purchases at Plaza Las Americas Mall near the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California, on November 26, 2024. (AFP)
A shopper walks with his purchases at Plaza Las Americas Mall near the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California, on November 26, 2024. (AFP)
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China State Media Warn Trump against Mutually Destructive Tariff War

A shopper walks with his purchases at Plaza Las Americas Mall near the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California, on November 26, 2024. (AFP)
A shopper walks with his purchases at Plaza Las Americas Mall near the US-Mexico border in San Ysidro, California, on November 26, 2024. (AFP)

China's state media warned US President-elect Donald Trump his pledge to slap additional tariffs on Chinese goods over fentanyl flows could drag the world's top two economies into a mutually destructive tariff war.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said on Monday he would impose "an additional 10% tariff, above any additional tariffs" on imports from China until Beijing clamped down on trafficking of the chemical precursors used to make the deadly drug.

The two superpowers are setting out their positions ahead of the former president's return to the White House. Trump's first term resulted in a trade war that uprooted global supply chains and hurt every economy as inflation and borrowing costs shot up.

Editorials in Chinese communist party mouthpieces China Daily and the Global Times late on Tuesday warned the next occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to not make China a "scapegoat" for the US' fentanyl crisis or "take China's goodwill for granted regarding anti-drug cooperation."

"The excuse the president-elect has given to justify his threat of additional tariffs on imports from China is farfetched," China Daily said.

"There are no winners in tariff wars. If the US continues to politicize economic and trade issues by weaponizing tariffs, it will leave no party unscathed."

Economists have begun downgrading their growth targets for China's $19 trillion economy for 2025 and 2026 in anticipation of further tariffs promised by Trump during the election campaign, and are warning Americans to brace for an increase in the cost of living.

"For now, the only thing we know for sure is that the risks in this area are high," said Louis Kuijs, chief Asia economist at S&P Global Ratings, which on Sunday lowered its China growth forecast for 2025 and 2026 to 4.1% and 3.8%, respectively.

"What we assumed in our baseline is an across-the-board (tariff) increase from around 14% now to 25%. Thus, what we assumed is a bit more than the 10% on all imports from China."

Trump is threatening Beijing with far higher tariffs than the 7.5%-25% levied on Chinese goods during his first term.

"China already has a template for dealing with the previous US tariff policy," the Global Times quoted Gao Lingyun, an analyst at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, as saying.

"Using counternarcotics issues to increase tariffs on Chinese goods is untenable and unpersuasive," Gao added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that China's economy would continue to grow and develop in the long-term during a meeting in Beijing on Tuesday after Trump's comments, state news agency Xinhua said.

Lee reportedly told Xi "no one should underestimate the Chinese people's determination for their nation to succeed and stand tall in the world," a remark which a separate Global Times piece said was "also meant for some people in (the) international community."

Profits at Chinese firms fell 10% year-on-year in October, data showed on Wednesday, showing how companies are struggling to remain profitable in an economy that is far more vulnerable to trade shocks this time around.

Economists in a Reuters poll last week expected additional US tariffs ranging from 15% to 60%. Most said Beijing will need to inject more stimulus to boost economic growth and offset pressure on exports.

TRADE WAR TWO

Trump previously said he would introduce tariffs in excess of 60% on Chinese goods.

The threat is rattling China's industrial complex, which sells goods worth more than $400 billion annually to the US and hundreds of billions more in components for products Americans buy from elsewhere.

His pick of trade lawyer Jamieson Greer as new US trade representative elevates a key veteran of Trump's first term trade war against China and points to a bruising four years for trade negotiators the world over.

Greer served as chief of staff to Trump's former US Trade Robert Lighthizer, the architect of Trump's original tariffs on some $370 billion worth of Chinese imports and the renegotiation of the North American free trade deal with Canada and Mexico.

The president-elect looks set to tear up that agreement on his first day in office.

Trump on Monday also pledged 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, saying the US' neighbors were not doing enough to stop drugs and migrants crossing their borders.

But China can expect to bear the brunt of Trump's efforts to bring down the US' trade deficit and bring about the "manufacturing renaissance" he promised on the campaign trail.

"What the future will bring on this front is hard to say," S&P Global's Kuijs said. "There are many uncertainties. There is still a large increase to go to get to 60%."