Saudi Govt. to Pay Private Sector its Dues in 60 Days

Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 18, 2018. (Reuters)
Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 18, 2018. (Reuters)
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Saudi Govt. to Pay Private Sector its Dues in 60 Days

Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 18, 2018. (Reuters)
Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 18, 2018. (Reuters)

The Saudi Ministry of Finance confirmed that the government remains committed to paying all the contracts signed with the private sector within a period of 60 days.

The move aims to spur private sector investment in the local domestic product.

The ministry said, 99 percent of submitted payment orders received by the ministry have been completed within the previously announced 60 days. Of those who have been paid, 97 percent were completed within 30 days.

The remaining less than 1 percent were not paid due to court orders.

There is a small percentage of disputed amounts claimed by certain vendors and contractors, which are subject to an agreed dispute resolution mechanism as per the contracts.

These developments coincide with a huge rise in spending in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and related national programs.

The Saudi government had approved the largest budget in the Kingdom’s history with estimated spending at SAR1,106 billion (USD295 billion), an increase of 7 percent compared to the end of the fiscal year 2018.

Revenues are estimated at SAR975 billion (USD260 billion), a rise of 9 percent compared to the same period.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.