Riyadh and Tokyo to Launch Coordination Framework to Boost Cooperation

Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh and Tokyo to Launch Coordination Framework to Boost Cooperation

Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia and Japan are close to unveiling a higher partnership council that will be headed by the countries’ leaderships in line with efforts to build a partnership that bolsters the technical transformation and joint research in clean energy, communications and other areas, revealed Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Binzagr.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the two countries will soon open a new chapter in their sophisticated strategic partnership.

The new council will be chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to push forward the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030, he added.

The council will elevate cooperation between the countries and pave the way for broader dialogue and consultations in various fields to bolster political, defense, economic, cultural and sports cooperation, he explained.

The two parties will work on critical technological partnerships that will focus on assessing and developing technologies to benefit from them, Binzagr said. They will also focus on the economy these technologies can create and in turn, the new jobs they will generate.

These jobs can be inside Saudi Arabia or abroad and provide employers with the opportunity to develop the sectors they are specialized in, he added.

Binzagr said Saudi Arabia and Japan will mark 70s years of relations in 2025, coinciding with the launch of Expo 2025 in Osaka in which the Kingdom will have a major presence.

Relations have been based on energy security and trade exchange with Japan’s need for oil. Now, according to Saudi Vision 2030, they can be based on renewable energy and the post-oil phase, remarked the ambassador.

Several opportunities are available in both countries in the cultural, sports and technical fields, he noted.

Both sides agree that improving clean energy and a sustainable environment cannot take place at the expense of a strong economy or quality of life, but through partnership between their countries to influence the global economy, he explained.

"For the next phase, we are keen on consolidating the concept of sustainable partnerships between the two countries in various fields so that this partnership can last for generations,” Binzagr stressed.

“I believe these old partnerships will last for decades and centuries to come,” he remarked.

Moreover, he noted that the oil sector was the cornerstone of the partnership and it will now shift to petrochemicals and the development of the petrochemical industry.



Taiwan Expects Small Impact from Trump Tariffs on Chip Exports

A chip is pictured at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) at Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan, September 16, 2022. Reuters/Ann Wang/ File Photo
A chip is pictured at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) at Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan, September 16, 2022. Reuters/Ann Wang/ File Photo
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Taiwan Expects Small Impact from Trump Tariffs on Chip Exports

A chip is pictured at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) at Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan, September 16, 2022. Reuters/Ann Wang/ File Photo
A chip is pictured at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) at Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan, September 16, 2022. Reuters/Ann Wang/ File Photo

Taiwan only expects a small impact from any tariffs imposed by the incoming government of US President-elect Donald Trump on semiconductor exports given their technological superiority, Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei said on Friday.
Home to the world's largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the island is a key link in the global technology supply chain for companies such as Apple and Nvidia, according to Reuters.
But Taiwanese policymakers have warned new US tariffs against all countries from the Trump administration could curb economic growth this year for the export-dependent economy.
Trump has pledged a blanket tariff of 10% on global imports into the United States and a far higher 60% tariff on Chinese goods.
In late November, he specifically pledged a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico when he takes office on Jan. 20.
Asked at a news conference about the impact on Taiwan's export orders of Trump's tariffs, Kuo said it would not much affect the chip sector.
“For our semiconductors and advanced processes, there is an advantage of technological leadership and that cannot be replaced, and so the impact will be small,” he added.
Taiwan will also help companies relocate supply chains to the United States as needed, away from where there might be high import tariffs, Kuo said.
“Now we see that we should be able to develop the aerospace supply chain industry in the United States, and do some joining up with the US aerospace companies, so that some of Taiwan's aerospace research and development centres can be moved there,” he added.