167 Government Agencies Look Into Possibilities of Achieving Efficient Spending in Saudi Arabia

167 Government Agencies Look Into Possibilities of Achieving Efficient Spending in Saudi Arabia
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167 Government Agencies Look Into Possibilities of Achieving Efficient Spending in Saudi Arabia

167 Government Agencies Look Into Possibilities of Achieving Efficient Spending in Saudi Arabia

A number of Saudi government agencies have discussed the potential to achieve efficient spending and optimal business mechanisms in the country in accordance with the best local and international practices.

The Center of Spending Efficiency (CSE) held a workshop on Monday in the capital, Riyadh, entitled “Enabling spending efficiency teams in government agencies” to upgrade the government agencies’ capabilities to activate the mechanisms of achieving government spending efficiency.

This step is aimed at keeping pace with the government's aspirations for Saudi Arabia to become a successful model at the level of achieving financial and economic stability in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Attendees in the workshop, in which leaders and members of spending efficiency achievement teams in 167 government agencies have participated, amounted to 650. All have discussed the capabilities and optimal work mechanisms according to the best local and international practices in order to achieve spending efficiency.

In this context, Deputy Minister for Budget and Organizational Affairs in the Ministry of Finance Yaser al-Quhidan stressed the importance of cooperation among various government agencies to maximize impact against spending and the optimal orientation of government spending.

CEO of the CSE Eng. Abdul Razzag al-Aujan affirmed at the end of the workshop that the initiative is part of the Center’s 2020 plan to support government agencies in achieving spending efficiency targets towards sustainable spending in line with the Kingdom’s vision and aspirations.

On the other hand, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Finance announced that it has stopped receiving requests from investors on its local Sukuk issue for January under the Sukuk Issuance Program in Saudi Riyal.

It noted that the issuance value was determined with a total amount of SAR6.7 billion ($1.7 billion).

It explained that the issuances were divided into two sections: the first amounted to SAR715 million for Sukuk due in 2027, and the second would be six billion Saudi riyals, so its final size would be SAR7.8 billion for Sukuk due in 2030.



Trump Says He Wants a Fair Trade Deal with China

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media aboard Air Force One as he flies from West Palm Beach, Florida enroute to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on May 4, 2025 returning to the White House.(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks with the media aboard Air Force One as he flies from West Palm Beach, Florida enroute to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on May 4, 2025 returning to the White House.(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Trump Says He Wants a Fair Trade Deal with China

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media aboard Air Force One as he flies from West Palm Beach, Florida enroute to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on May 4, 2025 returning to the White House.(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks with the media aboard Air Force One as he flies from West Palm Beach, Florida enroute to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on May 4, 2025 returning to the White House.(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the US was meeting with many countries, including China, on trade deals, and his main priority with China was to secure a fair trade deal.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had no plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, but US officials were speaking with Chinese officials about a variety of different things.

Asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, Trump said that could "very well be" but gave no details, reported Reuters.

Trump's top officials have engaged in a flurry of meetings with trading partners since the president on April 2 imposed a 10% tariff on most countries, along with higher tariff rates for many trading partners that were then suspended for 90 days. He has also imposed 25% tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 145% tariffs on China.

He suggested that he did not expect to reach an agreement with some countries, but could instead be "setting a certain tariff" for those trading partners in the next two to three weeks. It was not immediately clear if he was referring to the reciprocal tariffs announced on April 2, which are due to kick in on July 8 after a 90-day pause.

Trump repeated his claim that China had been "ripping us for many years" on global trade, adding that former President Richard Nixon's move to reach out and establish relations with China was "the worst thing" he ever did.

Trump sounded more upbeat about China and the prospects for reaching an agreement in an interview with NBC News that was taped on Friday and broadcast on Sunday.

In the interview, he acknowledged that he had been "very tough with China," essentially cutting off trade between the world's top two economies, but said Beijing now wanted to reach an agreement.

"We've gone cold turkey," he said. "That means we're not losing a trillion dollars ... because we're not doing business with them right now. And they want to make a deal. They want to make a deal very badly. We'll see how that all turns out, but it's got to be a fair deal."