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Saudi Arabia Produces First Locally-Manufactured N95 Mask

First Saudi manufactured mask produced with the support of SABIC’s polymer portfolio. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
First Saudi manufactured mask produced with the support of SABIC’s polymer portfolio. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Produces First Locally-Manufactured N95 Mask

First Saudi manufactured mask produced with the support of SABIC’s polymer portfolio. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
First Saudi manufactured mask produced with the support of SABIC’s polymer portfolio. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Mais Company for Medical Products (SMMP) has announced producing the kingdom’s first fully manufactures N95 masks from polypropylene manufactured in SABIC, in cooperation with the Dimas Nonwoven Fabrics Company.

This announcement takes the kingdom a step closer towards localizing medical personal protective equipment.

The product has obtained the necessary approvals after meeting the requirements of the Food and Drug Authority.

SABIC’s polymers portfolio is organized largely around the automotive, foam/lightweight and pipe segments, helping find the right alternatives to replace traditional materials, such as wood, cotton or glass, used in a vast array of consumer and industrial products.

Yousef al-Benyan, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, underscored the company’s keenness to support national industry and achieve objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 to maximize local content and empower strategic industries through its national initiative “Nusaned.”

The company works in an integrated manner with industrial institutions throughout the kingdom to provide innovative and sustainable solutions by developing raw materials that are used in the manufacture of highly used products and raising their quality and efficiency, he explained.

“The local production of these masks represents a key step in the field of localizing medical products, which would contribute to enhancing prevention and raising levels of public health.”

He pointed out that the “Nusaned initiative works with a wide base of local entrepreneurs and manufacturers in the field of localizing strategic industries and transferring the technologies necessary for these industries.”

A team from SABIC visited Dimas and Mais plants and shed light on the initiatives’ efforts to produce the first raw materials to manufacture the N95 mask from local materials.

The success of this step reflects the importance of joint cooperation between the private and public sectors to support local products and localize industries in the field of personal and health protection equipment.

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US Tariffs Could Slow China's Growth to 4.5% in 2025

People walk past a billboard which reads I love Beijing, Happy New Year at 798 art district, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Snake, in Beijing on January 14, 2025. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)
People walk past a billboard which reads I love Beijing, Happy New Year at 798 art district, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Snake, in Beijing on January 14, 2025. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)
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US Tariffs Could Slow China's Growth to 4.5% in 2025

People walk past a billboard which reads I love Beijing, Happy New Year at 798 art district, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Snake, in Beijing on January 14, 2025. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)
People walk past a billboard which reads I love Beijing, Happy New Year at 798 art district, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, marking the Year of the Snake, in Beijing on January 14, 2025. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)

China's economic growth is likely to slow to 4.5% in 2025 and cool further to 4.2% in 2026, a Reuters poll showed, with policymakers poised to roll out fresh stimulus measures to soften the blow from impending US tariff hikes.

Gross domestic product (GDP) likely grew 4.9% in 2024 - largely meeting the government's annual growth target of around 5%, helped by stimulus measures and strong exports, according to the median forecasts of 64 economists polled by Reuters.

But the world's second-largest economy faces heightened trade tensions with the United States as President-elect Donald Trump, who has proposed hefty tariffs on Chinese goods, is set to return to the White House next week.

“Potential US tariff hikes are the biggest headwind for China's growth this year, and could affect exports, corporate capex and household consumption,” analysts at UBS said in a note.

“We (also) foresee property activity continuing to fall in 2025, though with a smaller drag on growth.”

Growth likely improved to 5.0% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, quickening from the third-quarter's 4.6% pace as a flurry of support measures began to kick in, the poll showed.

On a quarterly basis, the economy is forecast to grow 1.6% in the fourth quarter, compared with 0.9% in July-September, the poll showed.

The government is due to release fourth-quarter and full-year GDP data, along with December activity data, on Friday.

China's economy has struggled for traction since a post-pandemic rebound quickly fizzled out, with a protracted property crisis, weak demand and high local government debt levels weighing heavily on activity, souring both business and consumer confidence.

Policymakers have unveiled a blitz of stimulus measures since September, including cuts in interest rates and banks' reserve requirements ratios (RRR) and a 10 trillion yuan ($1.36 trillion) municipal debt package.

They have also expanded a trade-in scheme for consumer goods such as appliances and autos, helping to revive retail sales.

Analysts expect more stimulus to be rolled out this year, but say the scope and size of China's moves may depend on how quickly and aggressively Trump implements tariffs or other punitive measures.

More stimulus on the cards

At an agenda-setting meeting in December, Chinese leaders pledged to increase the budget deficit, issue more debt and loosen monetary policy to support economic growth in 2025.

Leaders have agreed to maintain an annual growth target of around 5% for this year, backed by a record high budget deficit ratio of 4% and 3 trillion yuan in special treasury bonds, Reuters has reported, citing sources.

The government is expected to unveil growth targets and stimulus plans during the annual parliament meeting in March.

Faced with mounting economic risks and deflationary pressures, top leaders in December ditched their 14-year-old “prudent” monetary policy stance for a “moderately loose” posture.

China's central bank is expected to deploy its most aggressive monetary tactics in a decade this year as it tries to revive the economy, but in doing so it risks quickly exhausting its firepower. It has already had to repeatedly shore up its defense of the yuan currency as downward pressure pushes it to 16-month lows.

Analysts polled by Reuters expected the central bank to cut the seven-day reverse repo rate, its key policy rate, by 10 basis points in the first quarter, leading to a same cut in the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) - the benchmark lending rate.

The PBOC may also cut the weighted average reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks by at least 25 basis points in the first quarter, the poll showed, after two cuts in 2024.

Consumer inflation will likely pick up to 0.8% in 2025 from 0.2% in 2024, and rise further to 1.4% in 2026, the poll showed.