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.



Egypt Approves $91 Billion Budget for 2025/26

 The sun rises in Cairo, Egypt March 25, 2025. (Reuters)
The sun rises in Cairo, Egypt March 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Egypt Approves $91 Billion Budget for 2025/26

 The sun rises in Cairo, Egypt March 25, 2025. (Reuters)
The sun rises in Cairo, Egypt March 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Egypt's cabinet approved a 4.6 trillion Egyptian pound ($91 billion) draft state budget for the financial year that will begin in July, a government statement said on Wednesday, as it continues to tighten its finances under an IMF program.

Expenditures will rise by 18% and revenue by 19% over the current 2024/25 budget. Revenue is expected to hit 3.1 trillion pounds, working out to a deficit of about 1.5 trillion pounds ($30 billion).

The increased expenditure partly reflects elevated headline inflation, which was running at an annual 12.8% in February.

Financial reforms under an $8 billion financial reform program signed in March 2024 with the International Monetary Fund have helped Egypt bring inflation down from a peak of 38% in September 2023.

The IMF this month approved the disbursement of $1.2 billion to Egypt after its fourth review of the program.

The new budget targets a primary surplus of 795 billion pounds, equal to 4% of GDP, up from the 3.5% primary surplus originally targeted in the 2024/25 budget.

The IMF granted the government a waiver in the fourth review after the surplus came in 0.5% of GDP lower than Egypt's earlier commitment.

In its third review in June, the IMF praised Egypt for its "strict control of spending".

The new budget also lowers public debt to 82.9% of GDP from an expected 92% in 2024/25, the cabinet statement said.

The cabinet said 732.6 billion pounds in spending in the new budget would be allocated for subsidies, grants and social benefits, an increase of 15.2%.

The budget increases commodities and bread subsidies by 20% to 160 billion pounds. It will also include 75 billion pounds to subsidize petroleum products, 75 billion pounds to subsidize electricity and 3.5 billion pounds to subsidize natural gas deliveries to households, the statement added.