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Int’l Companies Race over Investment, Partnership Deals for Saudi Ports

DP World and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced the signing of a 30-year agreement with an investment value of more than SAR 500 million ($133.33 million) to build a state-of-the-art, port-centric Logistics Park at the Jeddah Islamic Port, (Asharq Al-Awsat)
DP World and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced the signing of a 30-year agreement with an investment value of more than SAR 500 million ($133.33 million) to build a state-of-the-art, port-centric Logistics Park at the Jeddah Islamic Port, (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Int’l Companies Race over Investment, Partnership Deals for Saudi Ports

DP World and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced the signing of a 30-year agreement with an investment value of more than SAR 500 million ($133.33 million) to build a state-of-the-art, port-centric Logistics Park at the Jeddah Islamic Port, (Asharq Al-Awsat)
DP World and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) announced the signing of a 30-year agreement with an investment value of more than SAR 500 million ($133.33 million) to build a state-of-the-art, port-centric Logistics Park at the Jeddah Islamic Port, (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of the Board of Saudi Ports Authority Saleh Al-Jasser revealed that work is underway on several partnerships with the private sector to operate stations and marine services in Saudi ports.

Al-Jasser added that international transport line and container operators are racing to invest in Saudi Arabia’s logistics field.

According to the minister, there are investments in 59 of the Kingdom’s logistics areas. These areas cover seaports, land ports, and airports.

As for air transport, the sector is looking to expand its capacity from 100 million passengers to a whopping 330 million passengers, Al-Jasser told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Moreover, the Kingdom’s aviation sector will move from relying on a single carrier to having two strong air companies connecting Saudi Arabia to around 250 destinations worldwide.

Al-Jasser explained that Saudi Arabia is working to implement its national strategy for transport and logistics services.

The strategy covers all types of air, land, sea and rail transport, roads, and logistics services, and extends services to the Kingdom such as customs services, food, medicine, and other security measures.

Al-Jasser’s remarks were made during the signing ceremony of a new deal to establish a new fully integrated smart logistics park in Jeddah Islamic Port at an investment of over SR500 million ($133 million).

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) on Sunday signed an agreement with DP World, a world leader in global supply chain solutions.

This is Mawani's fifth such deal following a series of agreements signed with local and global leading companies in maritime transport and logistics including Maersk, CMA CGM, LogiPoint and Bahri.

The agreement was signed by President of the Saudi Ports Authority Omar bin Talal Hariri and Group Chairman and CEO of DP World and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, in the presence of Al Jasser and several other leaders from the transport and logistics entity.

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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.