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Saudi Tourism Commission Starts Implementing Heritage Projects Worth $115Mn

Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage
Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage
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Saudi Tourism Commission Starts Implementing Heritage Projects Worth $115Mn

Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage
Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) announced that nine projects will be awarded across the Kingdom at costs amounting to more than SR433 million ($115.4 million).

The commission said that another five projects will also be awarded within the SCTH cultural heritage projects that will cost more than SR1.4 billion ($373 million).

SCTH President Prince Sultan bin Salman sponsored the signing of the contracts with a number of national companies.

These new projects include the establishment of new museums, development of existing ones, expansion of the National Museum, maintenance, fencing and posting of awareness notices in the archaeological and heritage sites in addition to other projects to rehabilitate a number of archaeological sites across the Kingdom.

They come in the framework of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman’s program for cultural heritage in the Kingdom that has now 230 projects. These projects cover antiquities, museums, sites of Islamic history, urban heritage and handicrafts in addition to other aspects of the Kingdom’s heritage.

The new projects also included the design of museum exhibitions; executive plans for the rehabilitation of Al-Saqqaf Palace in the Makkah region; expansion and development of the National Museum (first phase); design and preparation of the executive plans of the SCTH regional museums in Dammam, Tabuk, Baha, Hail, Jouf, Najran and Asir; museum projects in Al-Qasim, Arar, Tima and Ahsa, and the railway museum in Madinah; the rehabilitation project of Khuzam Palace and other historic and heritage buildings in Ahsa; and the rehabilitation of ten heritage buildings in Yanbu (first phase).

The projects also include the rehabilitation of the archaeological sites in al-Jouf Region, including five sites in Skaka Province and another two in Domat-al-Jandal Province.

The maintenance, fencing and posting notices projects cover 300 sites across the Kingdom.

The signing of operation and engineering contracts for museums and archaeological sites covered more than 130 locations in order to raise the efficiency and level of archaeological and heritage sites and museums throughout Saudi Arabia.

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China Retaliates to EU Ban with Import Restrictions on Medical Devices

People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
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China Retaliates to EU Ban with Import Restrictions on Medical Devices

People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
People walk along Qianmen promenade in Beijing on July 5, 2025. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)

China's finance ministry said on Sunday it was restricting government purchases of medical devices from the European Union that exceed 45 million yuan ($6.3 million) in value, in retaliation to Brussels' own curbs last month.

Tensions between Beijing and Brussels have been rising, with the European Union imposing tariffs on China-built electric vehicles and Beijing slapping duties on imported brandy from the bloc.

The European Union said last month it was barring Chinese companies from participating in EU public tenders for medical devices worth 60 billion euros ($70 billion) or more per year after concluding that EU firms were not given fair access in China.

The measure announced by the European Commission was the first under the EU's International Procurement Instrument, which entered into force in 2022 and is designed to ensure reciprocal market access.

China's countermeasures were expected after its commerce ministry flagged "necessary steps" against the EU move late last month.

"Regrettably, despite China's goodwill and sincerity, the EU has insisted on going its own way, taking restrictive measures and building new protectionist barriers," Reuters quoted the commerce ministry as saying in a separate statement on Sunday.

"Therefore, China has no choice but to adopt reciprocal restrictive measures."
The EU delegation office in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China will also restrict imports of medical devices from other countries that contain EU-made components worth more than 50% of the contract value, the finance ministry said. The measures come into force on Sunday.

The commerce ministry said products from European companies in China were not affected.

The world's second- and third-largest economies are due to hold a leaders' summit in China later in July.