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Mawani Extends Exemption Period for General Cargo Fees to 21 Days

Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat
Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Mawani Extends Exemption Period for General Cargo Fees to 21 Days

Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat
Giant crane to lift containers in a Saudi port. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) revealed on Thursday that the exemption period of fees for exported and imported general cargo storage will be extended to 21 days instead of five days, starting January 9.

The decision aims to strengthen partnership with the private sector, ensure business continuity and overcome difficulties that beneficiaries might face in the port sector.

It also seeks to attract transit ships and increase the market share of trade worldwide, which will contribute to supporting the national economy, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The initiative comes as a continuation of a series of initiatives launched by Mawani to strength ties with the private sector and companies operating in Saudi ports, as well as to increase their contribution by investing in this vital sector.

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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)
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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.