Aramco JV HAPCO Breaks Ground on New Refinery and Petrochemical Complex

Officials at the ground-breaking ceremony of the major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex being developed by Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company (HAPCO).
Officials at the ground-breaking ceremony of the major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex being developed by Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company (HAPCO).
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Aramco JV HAPCO Breaks Ground on New Refinery and Petrochemical Complex

Officials at the ground-breaking ceremony of the major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex being developed by Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company (HAPCO).
Officials at the ground-breaking ceremony of the major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex being developed by Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company (HAPCO).

A ground-breaking ceremony took place on Wednesday for a major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex being developed by Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company (HAPCO).

The joint venture between Aramco (30%), NORINCO Group (51%) and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group (19%) is developing the complex in the city of Panjin, in China’s Liaoning Province, said a statement by Aramco.

On March 26, it was announced that the complex was expected to be fully operational by 2026. Aramco is expected to supply up to 210,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil feedstock to the facility.

Among those attending the ground-breaking ceremony were Abdulrahman Alharbi, Saudi Ambassador to China; Hao Peng, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress; Li Lecheng, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor of the Liaoning Provincial Government; Liu Shiquan, Chairman of Norinco Group; Wang Bingsen, Secretary of the Panjin Municipal Party Committee; and Zou Wenchao, Vice President of Norinco Group.

Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Aramco Executive Vice President of Downstream, said in a speech at the event: “This complex is a cornerstone of our efforts to support a world-class, integrated Downstream sector here in China, as petrochemicals will play a vital role in our joint success.”

“Once complete, we believe HAPCO will be a model for China’s modern petrochemicals industry moving forward, able to deliver lower carbon products, chemicals, and advanced materials,” he added.

On March 27, Aramco also announced it had signed definitive agreements to acquire a 10% interest in Shenzhen-listed Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd. for RMB 24.6 billion ($3.6 billion).

Combined, the partnership with Rongsheng and the HAPCO joint venture would see Aramco supply a total of 690,000 bpd of crude to high chemical conversion assets in China, in line with its strategy of converting four million bpd of crude to chemicals by 2030.



China Vows Tougher Action against Smuggling of Strategic Minerals

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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China Vows Tougher Action against Smuggling of Strategic Minerals

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

China vowed on Saturday to step up a crackdown and toughen law enforcement against smuggling of strategic minerals seen as vital to national security and critical for development.

The remarks by the commerce ministry came a day after the state security ministry accused foreign spy agencies of having tried to "steal" rare earths and pledged to crack down on infiltration and espionage targeting the critical sector.

The world's largest supplier of dozens of strategic minerals, China began imposing export curbs in 2023 on supplies vital to sectors ranging from chipmaking and the energy transition to defense.

The commerce ministry remarks, describing smuggling and export of strategic minerals as a severe problem to be combated, came at a meeting of officials responsible for export control coordination and other government bodies.

"Cases of smuggling by a small number of criminals for their own selfish interests and collusion between domestic and foreign parties are still occurring," it said in a statement.

Evasive methods such as false declarations and third-country transshipment were taking on increasingly covert forms, it added, urging government bodies to prevent illegal outflows of strategic minerals and related technologies.

China has adopted a "zero-tolerance" approach to smuggling and export of strategic minerals, which it will fight with a heavy hand, through special efforts to toughen law enforcement, the ministry said.

In May China said it would strengthen controls on the entire supply chains of strategic mineral exports while tightening its grip on materials deemed crucial to national interest.

Earlier, Beijing launched a special campaign to tackle smuggling of strategic minerals such as gallium, germanium, antimony, tungsten and some rare earths.