Saudi Investment Ministry Signs 2 MoUs at Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit

The Ministry of Investment signed two memorandums of understanding with Boehringer Ingelheim Company and Saudi Novo Nordisk Trading Company and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. SPA
The Ministry of Investment signed two memorandums of understanding with Boehringer Ingelheim Company and Saudi Novo Nordisk Trading Company and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. SPA
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Saudi Investment Ministry Signs 2 MoUs at Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit

The Ministry of Investment signed two memorandums of understanding with Boehringer Ingelheim Company and Saudi Novo Nordisk Trading Company and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. SPA
The Ministry of Investment signed two memorandums of understanding with Boehringer Ingelheim Company and Saudi Novo Nordisk Trading Company and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. SPA

The Ministry of Investment signed two memorandums of understanding with Boehringer Ingelheim Company and Saudi Novo Nordisk Trading Company and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology at Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported Friday.

The MoUs were signed in the presence of Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, SPA said.

The summit was organized by the Ministry of National Guard represented by Health Affairs Department in Riyadh on January 25-26.

The two MoUs aim to enhance joint cooperation with the biotechnology and medicine sector in the Kingdom, transfer knowledge, localize the industry, contribute to enhancing human health and quality of life, increase awareness and establish centers specialized in research, SPA said.

The Ministry of Investment is a strategic partner to Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit 2023, which hosts a group of international experts to discuss the latest developments in medical biotechnology, it added.



World Bank Raises China's GDP Forecast for 2024, 2025

World Bank Raises China's GDP Forecast for 2024, 2025
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World Bank Raises China's GDP Forecast for 2024, 2025

World Bank Raises China's GDP Forecast for 2024, 2025

The World Bank raised on Thursday 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 world's second-biggest economy has struggled this year, mainly due to a property crisis and tepid domestic demand. An expected hike in US tariffs on its goods when US President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January may also hit growth.
"Addressing challenges in the property sector, strengthening social safety nets, and improving local government finances will be essential to unlocking a sustained recovery," Mara Warwick, the World Bank's country director for China, said.
"It is important to balance short-term support to growth with long-term structural reforms," she added in a statement.
Thanks to the effect of recent policy easing and near-term export strength, the World Bank sees China's gross domestic product growth at 4.9% this year, up from its June forecast of 4.8%.
Beijing set a growth target of "around 5%" this year, a goal it says it is confident of achieving.
Although growth for 2025 is also expected to fall to 4.5%, that is still higher than the World Bank's earlier forecast of 4.1%.
Slower household income growth and the negative wealth effect from lower home prices are expected to weigh on consumption into 2025, the Bank added.
To revive growth, Chinese authorities have agreed to issue a record 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) in special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported this week.
The figures will not be officially unveiled until the annual meeting of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, in March 2025, and could still change before then.
While the housing regulator will continue efforts to stem further declines in China's real estate market next year, the World Bank said a turnaround in the sector was not anticipated until late 2025.
China's middle class has expanded significantly since the 2010s, encompassing 32% of the population in 2021, but World Bank estimates suggest about 55% remain "economically insecure", underscoring the need to generate opportunities.