King Salman Welcomes Hajj Pilgrims from Across the Globe

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)
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King Salman Welcomes Hajj Pilgrims from Across the Globe

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz welcomed on Tuesday Hajj pilgrims from across the globe.

He underscored Saudi Arabia’s pride in serving the pilgrims during their holy journey.

King Salman chaired a cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah.

The ministers praised the efforts taken by the Hajj organizers, noting the high-quality services available to the pilgrims in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Moreover, the cabinet said it was looking forward to the outcomes of the official visit by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to France.

It hailed the unique relations between Saudi Arabia and France and their friendly peoples and the efforts to bolster and develop them in all fields.

The cabinet reviewed the latest talks that were held between Saudi Arabia and Iran in follow up of the China-sponsored agreement to restore their diplomatic relations.

It noted the progress that has been made in reopening diplomatic and consular missions between them and bilateral coordination on several regional and international issues of interest.

Furthermore, the cabinet expressed its gratitude to countries that have backed Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030.

Hosting the event will be an opportunity for the Kingdom to share its accomplishments in its unprecedented national transformation with the world, it added. It is also an opportunity for the international community to cooperate for the future and develop innovative solutions that would help tackle pressing global challenges and raise awareness about them.



Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Taiwan is investigating who is responsible for modifying the pagers that were turned into explosives in the hands of the Lebanese people, including members of Hezbollah.

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang told Asharq Al-Awsat that 260,000 pagers were exported from his country between 2022 and 2024, and 16 percent of them were sent to the United States and Europe.

He expressed his regret that the pagers were planted with explosives that were used in the attack in Lebanon last month, clarifying that the devices were not directly exported from Taiwan to Lebanon.

He explained that the components of the device are made of material that is not liable to explode.

Apollo Gold, the Taiwanese company that exported the pagers between 2022 and 2024, has never received any complaints that its devices have caused harm or exploded.

The attack in Lebanon has raised several questions and they are being probed by authorities in Taiwan, he went on to say.

One thing is for certain, the devices were not harmful in the shape they were exported from the country, stressed Chang.

Asked about whether the attack may harm Taiwan’s economy, he replied that his country’s industry sector has a strong reputation that will be difficult to undermine given the trust it has from clients.

The size of the sector and Taiwan’s investments cannot be measured by a small number of pagers, as they only make up a mere fraction in the country’s trade relations with countries all over the world, he stressed.

Separately, Chang revealed that Taiwan was considering cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the chip industry, saying he was optimistic over the broad potential for cooperation in the technology sector.

There are no limits to the cooperation between them, he added.

Taiwan constantly wants to maintain the relations and discuss opportunities for joint investments, he stated.

Taiwan was among the first countries to leap to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in all fields to help the Kingdom achieve its Vision 2030 that is spearheaded by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chang said.