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Saudi Arabia Advances 17 Ranks in World Bank's Logistics Performance Index

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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TT

Saudi Arabia Advances 17 Ranks in World Bank's Logistics Performance Index

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia advanced 17 places in the global Logistics Performance Index (LPI) issued by the World Bank.

Among 160 countries, the Kingdom has advanced to the rank 38th in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index after achieving wide leaps in performance efficiency through several sub-indicators, most notably the indexes of Logistics Competence and Quality, Tracking and Tracing, Timeliness, Customs, Infrastructure, and International Shipments.

Minister of Transport and Logistics, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, said the progress had been achieved due to the support and empowerment of the Saudi Crown Prince.

In this regard, the Minister highlighted the ambitious goals of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which the Crown Prince has recently launched, and the broad structural reforms and qualitative strategic initiatives it includes.

Al-Jasser indicated that strategies employed in the sector have had a significant impact and have radically transformed the transport and logistics system, profoundly enhancing its operational efficiency across every sector's performance in accordance with international indicators, and has enhanced the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub.

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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
TT
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.