Saudi Arabia, UK Discuss Strengthening Collaboration in Industrial and Mining Sectors

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef and UK's Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng. SPA
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef and UK's Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, UK Discuss Strengthening Collaboration in Industrial and Mining Sectors

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef and UK's Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng. SPA
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef and UK's Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng. SPA

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef has met in London with Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Attended by a number of industry and mining leaders, the meeting comes as part of the Minister’s visit to the United Kingdom to enhance collaboration and bilateral relations in industry and mining, SPA said Wednesday.

Both sides explored investment opportunities in the industrial and mining sectors, and strengthened ongoing collaboration.

The Kingdom's total non-oil exports to the United Kingdom amount to SAR1.53 billion whereas its total non-oil imports from the United Kingdom amount to SAR10.50 billion.

According to the SPA, the ministers emphasized the importance of raising the level of collaboration in bilateral relations in both sectors and enhancing communication channels to attract quality investments that align with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 objectives aimed at diversifying the economy.

With more than 10,000 factories, the industrial sector currently has investments worth around $400 billion. Over the past year, new investments worth more than $20 billion have been attracted.

The Kingdom's mineral wealth is estimated to be worth $1.3 trillion. Through a number of initiatives and programs, including the General Program of the Geological Survey, which aims to explore minerals on an area of 600 square kilometers, the Kingdom seeks to empower high-quality investments in both sectors.



Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh China Stimulus Hopes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh China Stimulus Hopes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil edged lower on Thursday in light holiday trade as the dollar's strength offset hopes for additional fiscal stimulus in China, the world's biggest oil importer.

Brent crude futures settled down 32 cents, or 0.43%, at $73.26 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $69.62, down 0.68%, or 48 cents, from Tuesday's pre-Christmas settlement.

Chinese authorities have agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing two sources, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy.

"Injecting a stimulus into a nation's economy creates increased demand, and increased demand pushes prices higher," said Tim Snyder, chief economist at Matador Economics, Reuters reported.

The World Bank on Thursday raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2024 and 2025, but warned that subdued household and business confidence, along with headwinds in the property sector, would keep weighing it down next year.

The US dollar continued to edge up higher after hitting a milestone last week. A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.

The latest weekly report on US inventories, from the American Petroleum Institute industry group, showed crude stocks fell last week by 3.2 million barrels, market sources said on Tuesday.

Traders will be waiting to see if the official inventory report from the Energy Information Administration confirms the decline. The EIA data is due at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) on Friday, later than normal because of the Christmas holiday.

Analysts in a Reuters poll expect crude inventories fell by about 1.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 20, while gasoline and distillate inventories are seen falling by 1.1 million barrels and 0.3 million barrels respectively.

Elsewhere, southbound traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait was set to resume on Thursday, having been halted earlier in the day after a tanker suffered an engine failure, shipping agent Tribeca said.