Saudi Offers 76 Investment Opportunities in Military, Defense Industries

General Authority for Military Industries in Saudi Arabia organizes a workshop in the capital, Riyadh, to reveal investment opportunities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
General Authority for Military Industries in Saudi Arabia organizes a workshop in the capital, Riyadh, to reveal investment opportunities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Offers 76 Investment Opportunities in Military, Defense Industries

General Authority for Military Industries in Saudi Arabia organizes a workshop in the capital, Riyadh, to reveal investment opportunities (Asharq Al-Awsat)
General Authority for Military Industries in Saudi Arabia organizes a workshop in the capital, Riyadh, to reveal investment opportunities (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has revealed that it has an estimated 76 investment opportunities in six different areas of defense and military industries.

Ayma al-Hazmi, head of the Saudi Local Content and Government Procurement Committee at the Federation of Saudi Chambers, stressed that the General Authority for Military Industries plays important roles in supporting the process of localizing the sector, and contributing to strengthening the country's strategic independence to build local and sustainable industries.

Speaking at a workshop recently organized by the General Authority for Military Industries in Riyadh, al-Hazmi revealed that coordination is underway for maximizing the benefit of national companies from procurement contracts and military spending.

Al-Hazmi noted that coordination for enhancing the position of national companies in the military industry aligns with the Kingdom’s goals for localizing this sector and making it a part of its sustainable economic development.

The workshop also showcased the most prominent investment opportunities in supply chains across six areas in the military and defense industries sector.

The workshop also highlighted the roles and tasks of the authority aimed at embodying the national ambition to localize more than 50% of government spending on military equipment and services by 2030.

In other news, the Federation of Saudi Chambers, represented by the Saudi-French Business Council, participated in a meeting organized by the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF).

The meeting focused on investment opportunities in the mining sector in the Kingdom and was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Investment and several Saudi and French companies operating in the mining field.

Chairman of the Saudi-French Business Council Mohammed bin Laden highlighted in his speech the economic importance of the Kingdom's mining sector as one of the most important pillars of the Saudi industry, and the objectives of Vision 2030 to maximize its impact on the gross domestic product and its contribution in the local content and trade balance, achieving its sustainability and improving legislative and investment environment.

The meeting also discussed the investment opportunities available to French companies in the Kingdom's mining sector, and the efforts made during the past years to strengthen the sector, introduce its components and capabilities, attract foreign investors, and improve its business environment, through the relevant competent authorities, led by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Investment.

The French side expressed the interest of French investors to invest in the Saudi mining sector, reiterating that this participation would achieve an added value for the sector through the transfer and localization of the leading French expertise.



China Approves Plan to Raise Retirement Age from January 2025 

Commuters ride an escalator at a subway station during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP)
Commuters ride an escalator at a subway station during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP)
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China Approves Plan to Raise Retirement Age from January 2025 

Commuters ride an escalator at a subway station during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP)
Commuters ride an escalator at a subway station during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP)

China's top legislative body has approved a proposal to raise the country's retirement age, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday, accelerating an overhaul of decades-old laws to tackle the economic pressure of a shrinking workforce.

China's retirement ages are currently amongst the lowest globally.

Reform is urgent with life expectancy in China having risen to 78 years as of 2021 from about 44 years in 1960 and projected to exceed 80 years by 2050. At the same time, the working population needed to support the elderly is shrinking.

The retirement age will be raised for men to 63 years old from 60, while for women in white collar work it would be raised to 58 years from 55. For women in blue collar work it will be adjusted to 55 from 50.

The changes are set to come into force on Jan. 1, 2025.

Having people work for longer would ease pressure on pension budgets with many Chinese provinces already reeling from large deficits. But delaying pension payouts and requiring older workers to stay at their jobs longer may not be welcomed by all of them.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to social media after Xinhua reported that China's top lawmakers discussed the topic on Sept. 10, with many expressing concern there would be more job seekers chasing too few openings.

By raising the retirement age, the government can increase the labor force participation rate, helping to mitigate the adverse effects of population aging, said Xiujian Peng, senior research fellow at the Center of Policy Studies at Victoria University in Australia.

"The government must take action. If the population continues to decline, the shrinking of the labor force will accelerate, further negatively impacting economic growth."

Xing Zhaopeng, ANZ's senior China strategist said the move would likely have "no impact on the short-term economy. In the long run, it will help to avoid premature labor shortages and maintain stable productivity growth."