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Interview: Promoting Investments in Saudi Arabia’s Natural Reserves

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)
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Interview: Promoting Investments in Saudi Arabia’s Natural Reserves

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)
The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. (Photo: SPA)

Eng. Muhammad Alshaalan, CEO of the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority, revealed efforts to engage the private sector in the protected areas, whether through hotels, rural lodges or sustainable hunting reserves.

He disclosed an agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority to attract investments in the sector.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Alshaalan said that the Authority was seeking to create jobs for the local community and increase the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises, in addition to activating eco-tourism in the Kingdom.

Asked about the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Reserve, he said: “It is one of six royal reserves in Saudi Arabia, established in 2018 by royal order. It is located in the northeastern part of the country on an area of 91,000 square kilometers. It has three main goals, mainly the preservation, development and diversification of wildlife.”

He added that around 80,000 to 100,000 people live in villages and deserts within the reserve.

“We seek to create jobs and training for the local community and increase the contribution of small and medium businesses,” he said.

The Authority aims to promote ecotourism in general, Alshaalan emphasized, noting that the reserve was home to beautiful sites, including the historic King Abdulaziz Palace in Linah, the ancient market, and Darb Zubaydah.

“These places attract local and foreign visitors, who are looking to explore historical and environmental areas of this kind,” he stated.

He noted that the Authority has established a center for houbara breeding, with the support and guidance of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prince Turki bin Muhammad bin Fahd.

He explained that the main objective was to conduct studies and research on this particular bird, especially the Asian Houbara, and on its reproduction and release in its natural habitats.

According to Alshaalan, the center aspires to create jobs for the local community and is mainly managed by the residents, with the aim to promote the development of the local economy, the use of surplus production for sustainable hunting, the activation of regulated hunting reserves, as well as attracting investors and those interested in the sector.

“The Prince Saud Al-Faisal Wildlife Center was established in the 1980s, followed by Al-Taysiyah Reserve… With the Saudi vision, environmental events have greatly accelerated...” he remarked.

The CEO of the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Natural Reserve Development Authority noted that the Houbara bird was threatened with extinction, as a result of the destruction of natural habitats and other factors.

He explained: “In the first years, we will start in the center with a capacity of up to 1,000 productive birds; we mainly seek to train and prepare, so that we can take full advantage of this production, and then basically simulate nature, whether in the production process or feed.”

Alshaalan underlined the importance of preserving the genetic sequence and the environmental and natural characteristics of the bird.

Asked about plans to engage the private sector in the investments of the reserve, he said: “We have today a set of paths, whether in hotels, rural lodges, sustainable hunting reserves, or the Zubaydah trail activities and the activation of tourist areas. We have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority, aimed at attracting investors in the protected areas in general.”

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Business

Alswaha Strengthens Saudi Arabia’s AI Partnerships, Expands Computing Infrastructure

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha's meetings are part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build an integrated AI ecosystem. SPA
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha's meetings are part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build an integrated AI ecosystem. SPA
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Alswaha Strengthens Saudi Arabia’s AI Partnerships, Expands Computing Infrastructure

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha's meetings are part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build an integrated AI ecosystem. SPA
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha's meetings are part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build an integrated AI ecosystem. SPA

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha held a series of meetings with leaders of major global technology and investment companies during the second day of his visit to Silicon Valley.

The meetings focused on strengthening Saudi Arabia’s partnerships in artificial intelligence (AI), expanding computing capabilities and infrastructure, accelerating the development of advanced applications and robotics, and attracting high-value investments.

Alswaha met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and senior company executives to discuss expanding cooperation in advanced AI models, leveraging the computing capabilities and infrastructure being developed by HUMAIN to support the large-scale deployment of AI models, and accelerating the development of advanced national applications in priority sectors.

In the field of AI infrastructure, Alswaha met with Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO Michael Dell to discuss accelerating enterprise adoption of AI solutions, integrating Dell AI Factory solutions with HUMAIN’s computing capabilities to support the deployment of enterprise AI at scale, and advancing knowledge transfer and national capability development to support the transformation of key sectors in the Kingdom.

He also met with Cognition AI Co-Founder and CEO Scott Wu and senior company executives to discuss expanding the use of autonomous software engineering solutions, improving developer productivity, enabling the deployment of Devin and software agents through HUMAIN’s computing capabilities, and accelerating national capabilities in building and operating AI applications.

Alswaha also met with Solidigm Senior Vice President and Head of Global Operations Kyle Fukuda to discuss using advanced storage solutions in the computing infrastructure and data centers being developed by HUMAIN, improving data access efficiency and computing resource utilization, and supporting the expansion of AI applications in the Kingdom.

In the investment sector, Alswaha met with Social Capital Founder and CEO Chamath Palihapitiya to discuss attracting the firm’s investments into the infrastructure and computing capabilities being developed by the Kingdom, expanding investment in advanced technologies, and connecting global capital with high-value opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

These meetings are part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build an integrated AI ecosystem encompassing advanced models, computing capabilities, data centers, infrastructure, applications, robotics, and investment, further strengthening the competitiveness of the Kingdom’s digital economy and reinforcing its position as a global hub for technology, innovation, and AI.

Business

China’s Car Exports in First 8 Months Surpass 2025 Total, as EV Sales Soar

FILE - Aerial view of new cars waiting for shipment at a port in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Chinatopix via AP, File)
FILE - Aerial view of new cars waiting for shipment at a port in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Chinatopix via AP, File)
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China’s Car Exports in First 8 Months Surpass 2025 Total, as EV Sales Soar

FILE - Aerial view of new cars waiting for shipment at a port in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Chinatopix via AP, File)
FILE - Aerial view of new cars waiting for shipment at a port in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Chinatopix via AP, File)

China’s passenger car exports in the first eight months of this year already surpassed last year's total, an industry association said Thursday, though domestic sales continued to decline.

Passenger car exports in August jumped 67.1% from the year before to around 890,000 units, driven by plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

China exported more than 6.2 million passenger vehicles in January-August. Exports of all types of vehicles totaled 7.1 million last year, CAAM data show, including about 6 million passenger vehicles.

The world’s largest car exporter is on track to achieve 50% to 70% growth in full-year passenger vehicle exports, according to S&P Global Ratings.

At home, passenger car sales fell 25.6% year-on-year in August to just below 1.5 million vehicles.

China’s domestic car market is under pressure from intense competition and price wars, while the slowing economy has undermined consumer confidence.

China’s car exports have been stronger than expected so far this year, helped by competitive pricing and quality, said Stephen Chan, an associate director at S&P Global Ratings.

“It’s likely that strong export growth will largely mitigate the domestic weakness,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying.

Over the past few months the energy shock from the Iran war and rising fuel prices have led more drivers of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles to shift to EVs.

Hefty tariffs have in effect kept most Chinese-made passenger cars out of the US market. But China has been exporting and selling more of its vehicles to Europe, Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Chinese automakers are also setting up more factories overseas.

Weak domestic demand is increasing carmakers’ incentives to redirect capacity overseas, analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a recent research note, and Chinese carmakers are increasingly moving beyond vehicle exports toward local assembly and manufacturing to ease impacts from trade barriers and reduce logistics costs.

Business

‘Disciplined Pricing’: Saudi Arabia Tightens Motor Insurance Oversight, Protects Competition

 A vehicle showroom in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
 A vehicle showroom in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
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‘Disciplined Pricing’: Saudi Arabia Tightens Motor Insurance Oversight, Protects Competition

 A vehicle showroom in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
 A vehicle showroom in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

Saudi Arabia’s Insurance Authority is tightening oversight of motor insurance pricing to ensure rates are fair, sound and sustainable, while curbing practices that could undermine competition.

It has also introduced six regulatory standards for motor insurance pricing, requiring insurers to set premiums that are fair and reasonable and to base them on underwriting criteria that avoid pricing below technically sustainable levels or exposing insurers to losses.

Consumer protection

Specialists told Asharq Al-Awsat that the rules should make pricing more transparent without pushing insurers toward uniform rates, preserving competition on price, service and claims quality.

They cautioned that consumers could be negatively affected if the standards artificially narrowed price differences. But rules that curb undisciplined pricing while leaving room for genuine competition would benefit the market and policyholders.

Salem Baajajah, a professor of economics at King Abdulaziz University, stressed that oversight should focus on the fairness of pricing methodologies rather than making final rates similar across insurers.

He explained that the measures would help prevent unfair pricing, price dumping and other harmful practices while allowing insurers to compete through operational efficiency, claims management, service quality, innovation and more accurate risk models.

Fair trade

Consumer protection specialist Abdulaziz Al-Khudairi noted that the Insurance Authority was also addressing ambiguities surrounding vehicle leases to protect lessees’ rights, increase transparency and apply the principle of “fair trade.”

He explained that comprehensive insurance rules require financing companies to obtain at least three insurance quotes annually and offer the lessee the lowest-priced option, preventing customers from bearing unnecessary additional costs.

According to Al-Khudairi, discounts granted by insurers, including for a claims-free record, are credited to a dedicated insurance account for the lessee, with the balance settled at the end of the contract.

The rules also require vehicles to be revalued annually to reflect depreciation, with premiums declining accordingly instead of remaining based on the vehicle’s original new-car value throughout the financing period.

Al-Khudairi added that the lessee is the “primary beneficiary” in cases of partial loss, receiving compensation for repairs and managing vehicle maintenance, while the lessor is the “secondary beneficiary” in a total loss, covering the outstanding financing balance.

Rising prices

Some policyholders reported that motor insurance prices in Saudi Arabia have risen steadily, in some cases to six times previous levels. They expect the new standards to produce fairer rates based on clear and sound principles.

The Saudi Insurance Market Report for the first quarter of 2026 showed coverage expanding to 11.2 million vehicles, with gross written motor insurance premiums reaching SAR 5 billion ($1.3 billion). The monthly complaint rate fell to 0.09 percent from 0.12 percent.