Aramco CEO: We Continue to Explore Investment Opportunities in China

Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. (Aramco)
Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. (Aramco)
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Aramco CEO: We Continue to Explore Investment Opportunities in China

Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. (Aramco)
Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco. (Aramco)

Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, underscored on Monday the company’s commitment to exploring new and additional investment opportunities in China, a key market and a central pillar of Aramco’s global strategy.

Speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing, Nasser highlighted Aramco’s ongoing investments and operations in the country.

According to an official company statement, he noted that Aramco currently has investments in Fujian, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Tianjin provinces and is actively exploring further opportunities in energy, chemicals, and technology development.

“China is one of our most important investment destinations,” Nasser said, adding that the country’s ambitious development plans, which focus on quality growth, require energy and industrial raw materials.

He emphasized Aramco’s role in supporting China’s energy security and chemical sector through multiple investments in refining, petrochemicals, and marketing projects.

Discussing China’s role in the global economy, Nasser pointed out that it is the world’s largest consumer and producer of petrochemicals, accounting for nearly half of global chemical demand.

China has emerged as a global hub for the entire petrochemical value chain, which will be crucial for future industries, he remarked.

“As long-term investors, we at Aramco remain excited about the vast and growing opportunities in China,” Nasser said. “In fact, we aim to strengthen our existing partnerships and take them to new heights.”

He also stressed that oil and gas will continue to be fundamental to China’s economic growth. Over time, however, he expects China’s oil demand to shift from use in light transportation to petrochemical production, driven by the increasing need for plastics, synthetic fibers, and advanced materials.

“A reliable supply of these materials will be essential to China’s high-quality critical growth industries – including wind and solar energy, automotive, aerospace, and construction,” he added.



Turkish Stocks Jump as PKK Disbandment Adds to Trade Relief

 People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Turkish Stocks Jump as PKK Disbandment Adds to Trade Relief

 People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Turkish stocks jumped on Monday, bonds climbed and the lira rallied against the euro as news the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group was ending its four decade-long insurgency in the country added to US-China trade cheer.

Global share markets were enjoying a strong surge after the US and China agreed to slash tariffs, but Turkish equities outstripped most other bourses as they jumped more than 3%.

A PKK member said it was ceasing all military operations "immediately" following the group's decision to disband, a move that could boost NATO member Türkiye's political and economic stability.

The lira was up 1.3% against the euro and steady against the dollar, while its international market bonds, which have been losing ground for the last six months, were up nearly 0.7 cents.

The PKK decision followed an appeal from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in February to disband. It is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighboring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US forces.

Omer Celik, spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said the PKK's decision to dissolve was "an important step toward a terror-free Türkiye".

There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.

The PKK's move should now give Erdogan the opportunity to boost spending in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Türkiye, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for decades.

Analysts welcomed the PKK move but added a note of caution.

"It can only be good news," said Christopher Granville, managing director of EMEA & Global Political Research at investment advisory firm TS Lombard. "But is it decisive for the difficult Turkish investment case?"

He said the PKK issue was ultimately "secondary" to questions about Türkiye's recent arrest of Erdogan's main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, and the broader direction of its macroeconomic policy.

Those concerns have weighed on Turkish markets this year.

MSCI's Türkiye equities index is down more than 13% compared to a near 8% rise in its pan-emerging market index., while lira-denominated government bonds have cost investors more than 8% on a total returns basis.

The cost of insuring Ankara's government debt using Credit Default Swaps (CDS) has also shot up, although Monday's rally saw that ease back.

"A continuation of the pullback (in CDS levels) ... may support banking stocks, which have been the negatively differentiated sector in BIST (Turkish stocks index) in the last 2 months," Garanti BBVA Yatirim's Director Ozgur Yurtdasseven said.

Turkish banking stocks were up 3.8% on the day, but remain more than 16% down on the year in lira terms and more than 20% in dollar terms.