Saudi-Omani Forum to Witness Signing of Economic MoUs

The forum is expected to witness the signing of memoranda of understanding with the aim to enhance economic, investment and trade cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Oman. Asharq Al-Awsat
The forum is expected to witness the signing of memoranda of understanding with the aim to enhance economic, investment and trade cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Oman. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT

Saudi-Omani Forum to Witness Signing of Economic MoUs

The forum is expected to witness the signing of memoranda of understanding with the aim to enhance economic, investment and trade cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Oman. Asharq Al-Awsat
The forum is expected to witness the signing of memoranda of understanding with the aim to enhance economic, investment and trade cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Oman. Asharq Al-Awsat

An economic forum is scheduled to be held in Muscat on Monday in the presence of Saudi and Omani ministers and representatives of the private sector during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Sultanate.

The forum is expected to witness the signing of memoranda of understanding to enhance economic, investment and trade cooperation between the two countries.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Chairman of the Saudi-Omani Business Council, Nasser bin Saeed Al-Hajri, said that the visit of the Crown Prince to Muscat will demonstrate “the unity of positions ... in the face of all challenges.”

A fundamental role will be played by the Saudi and Omani Business Owners Council in supporting the volume of business and joint projects between the two sides, according to Al-Hajri, who also noted that bilateral meetings between the business councils have made many achievements, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 and the Omani Vision 2040, to diversify the economy and establish strong and joint economic entities.

According to Al-Hajri, the Muscat meetings will seek to exploit the available investment opportunities and achieve economic integration between the two sides, stressing that the political will has played a pivotal role in removing all obstacles facing the investors in the two countries.

He said that the business sectors in Saudi Arabia and Oman, shortly before and during the recent visit of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to the Kingdom, signed several agreements for partnerships in industrial cities, logistics and renewable energy, while an Omani delegation had previously offered 150 investment opportunities to Saudis worth USD4 billion in various vital fields.

According to the National Center for Statistics and Information in Oman, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounted to 10 billion riyals (USD2.6 billion dollars) in 2020.



UK Treasury Chief Heading to China to Revive Suspended Economic, Financial Talks

FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
TT

UK Treasury Chief Heading to China to Revive Suspended Economic, Financial Talks

FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks to the media after a tour of Maidstone Hospital on December 10, 2024 in Maidstone, Britain. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Britain's Treasury chief is travelling to China this weekend to discuss economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the UK's Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with Beijing.
The Treasury said Friday that Rachel Reeves will travel to Beijing and Shanghai and will meet with her Chinese government counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, Reuters reported.
Reeves' trip is expected to revive the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue — annual bilateral talks that have been suspended since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating relations in recent years.
A series of spying allegations from both sides, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and a crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony, have soured ties.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and the UK Financial Conduct Authority's chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, are also in the delegation, according to the Treasury. Representatives from some of Britain’s biggest financial services firms will join the trip.
Officials did not provide details, but media reports have said senior executives from HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered were included.
Reeves' visit comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to China in October and Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil in November.
The meetings form part of a bid by Starmer, who was elected as leader in July, to strengthen political and economic ties with China, the UK's fifth-largest trading partner.
Officials said Starmer wanted a “pragmatic” approach to working with Beijing on global stability, climate change and the transition to clean energy.
But some in the opposition Conservative Party have criticized his stance and said trade ties should not come at the expense of national security and human rights concerns.
British political leaders and intelligence chiefs have warned repeatedly of the security threats that China poses. Calls to tackle the challenge grew louder last month when it emerged that an alleged Chinese spy had cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew and carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for China's ruling Communist Party, according to officials.
Nevertheless, Lammy told reporters in London on Thursday that “there are many areas of trade that don’t impact on national security.”
He said Reeves “will repeat many of the messages that I took to China.”
“What we’ve said is in this complex relationship with a global superpower, we are guided by three Cs”: challenge, compete and cooperate, for example in areas including health and climate challenges, Lammy added.