Saudi Arabia, France Discuss Health Sector Opportunities

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, France Discuss Health Sector Opportunities

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh and Paris have discussed medical cooperation and available investment opportunities in the healthcare sector at a meeting of the Saudi-French Business Council on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih and France’s Minister of Foreign Trade Olivier Becht. The heads of the Saudi-French Business Council Mohammed bin Laden and Laurent Germain also attended the meeting.

Moreover, Saudi entrepreneurial companies and representatives of the private sector from both countries also partook in the meeting.

Both sides stressed the importance of the Saudi-French economic and investment relations, and the support they enjoy from the leadership in the two countries.

Cooperation opportunities are available in areas of common interest.

The two sides noted the importance of exploring new investment opportunities, in addition to increasing knowledge of the investment environment in the Kingdom and France.

The roundtable meeting discussed promising investment opportunities, upgrading investment relations between France and Saudi Arabia, and strengthening efforts to develop economic and investment ties between Riyadh and Paris.

This comes especially about developing qualitative investments for leading companies and enabling the private sector to benefit from investment opportunities in both countries.

In other news, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM), in collaboration with the British Embassy in Riyadh, hosted a joint webinar with British investors to promote investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

During the opening of the webinar, the Assistant Deputy for Mining Development, Turki Al Babtain, emphasized that the Ministry is working to ensure an attractive investment ecosystem thanks to the new Saudi Mining Investment Law.

The legislation assures a clear and fair legal framework designed to safeguard investments while leveraging the Kingdom's mineral wealth. Saudi Arabia is said to be home to an estimated $1.3 trillion worth of minerals.

Saudi Arabia’s mining strategy is based on four important pillars: making geological and geophysical data fully accessible, transforming the mining ecosystem into one of the most competitive worldwide, creating integrated value chains, and ensuring that people and the environment are protected.

Al Babtain invited attendees to participate in the Future Minerals Forum in January to learn more about Saudi Arabia’s investment opportunities, including the prominent features and incentives offered by the Kingdom to investors. Attendees to the Future Minerals Forum will join more than 7500 participants, 150 speakers and representatives from more than 75 countries.

The Ministry’s efforts are designed to maximize value-creation for Saudi Arabian communities and local and international investors by developing its mineral sector in order to transform mining into the third pillar of national industry, thereby achieving the goals of Vision 2030 and the National Industry Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP).



China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022.  (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)
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China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022.  (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)

China said on Sunday it would launch 15 measures to bolster the development of its western provinces with the construction of logistical infrastructure such as ports and aviation hubs.

The General Administration of Customs said the measures would enhance the integration of rail, air, river and sea links in China's west, state media reported.

The measures are to include enhancing international aviation hubs in cities including Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xi'an and Urumqi, while developing comprehensive bonded zones, and integrating these with ports and other transport links.

A number of ports would also be built and expanded.

China has long sought to bolster the economic heft of its western regions, which have markedly lagged coastal provinces.

China's western regions comprise around two-thirds of the country's land area and include regions such as Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Xinjiang and Tibet.

China's Politburo last year called for a "new urbanization" of western China to revitalize rural areas, expand poverty alleviation efforts and strengthen energy resources. Efforts have also been made to increase linkages to Europe and South Asia through trade corridors including rail freight routes.