China’s Central Bank Governor Says Stable Yuan Key to Global Financial Stability

 A woman takes photos near lanterns at the Lantern Festival during Yuanxiao, during the Lunar New Year in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
A woman takes photos near lanterns at the Lantern Festival during Yuanxiao, during the Lunar New Year in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
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China’s Central Bank Governor Says Stable Yuan Key to Global Financial Stability

 A woman takes photos near lanterns at the Lantern Festival during Yuanxiao, during the Lunar New Year in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
A woman takes photos near lanterns at the Lantern Festival during Yuanxiao, during the Lunar New Year in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)

China's central bank governor said on Sunday a stable yuan currency has been key to global financial and economic stability and Beijing will continue to let the market play a decisive role in deciding the exchange rate.

People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng told a conference in Saudi Arabia that while most currencies have fallen against the dollar, the yuan has remained stable.

"Recently, a number of factors have pushed up (the) dollar index, and non-dollar currencies have mostly depreciated. But RMB (yuan) has remained largely stable despite the high market volatility," Pan said at AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies.

He also noted that China was increasingly prioritizing consumption, implementing pro-consumption policies such as increasing household income and providing subsidies.

China has emphasized that boosting consumption is a top economic priority in 2025, moving away from an over-reliance on investment to stimulate domestic demand and address potential export challenges.

Pan also said in his speech that China will adopt a proactive fiscal policy and an accommodative monetary policy, and strengthen counter-cyclical policy adjustments.



Saudi Aramco Launches First Direct Air Capture Test Unit

The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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Saudi Aramco Launches First Direct Air Capture Test Unit

The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Saudi oil giant Aramco has launched a pilot direct air capture unit able to remove 12 tons of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere, it said on Thursday.

The facility, developed with Siemens Energy, is Saudi Arabia's first carbon dioxide direct air capture (DAC) unit and will be used to test CO2 capture materials, Aramco said.

"The test facility launched by Aramco is a key step in our efforts to scale up viable DAC systems, for deployment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond," Ali A. Al-Meshari, Aramco senior vice president of technology oversight and coordination, said in Aramco's statement, Reuters reported.

"In addition to helping address emissions, the CO2 extracted through this process can in turn be used to produce more sustainable chemicals and fuels."

Aramco announced the pilot DAC unit with Siemens Energy in October 2023 and said at the time it would be completed in 2024 and was intended to pave the way for a larger pilot plant that would have the capacity to capture 1,250 tons of CO2 per year.

The state oil giant in December signed an agreement with oil services firms SLB and Linde to build a carbon capture and storage project in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The first phase is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, capturing and storing up to 9 million tons of CO2 a year.