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Saudi Aramco Announces New Agreements With Rongsheng and Hengli

Saudi Aramco Announces New Agreements With Rongsheng and Hengli
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Saudi Aramco Announces New Agreements With Rongsheng and Hengli

Saudi Aramco Announces New Agreements With Rongsheng and Hengli

Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, has announced agreements with key Chinese partners during a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by a senior delegation led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
The agreements reinforce Aramco’s ongoing contribution to China’s long-term energy security and development, support China’s participation in Saudi Arabia’s economic growth, and foster collaboration in new technology development. They include preliminary documentation relating to a Development Framework Agreement with Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (Rongsheng) and a Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Hengli Group Co., Ltd.
According to SPA, Aramco Downstream President Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani said: “The signing of these agreements reaffirms our belief in the long-term, mutual benefits that can arise from Aramco’s close collaboration with our Chinese partners. China is an important country in our global downstream growth strategy, and we look forward to building on a relationship that spans more than three decades to unlock new opportunities in this crucial market. These agreements reflect our collective intention to elevate our relationships in vital sectors to advance our downstream objectives, contribute to both China’s and Saudi Arabia’s vibrant energy and petrochemicals sectors, and help develop future technology solutions.”

The preliminary documentation relating to a Development Framework Agreement with Rongsheng is connected to the potential joint development of an expansion of Saudi Aramco Jubail Refinery Company (SASREF) facilities. It follows an announcement in April that Aramco and Rongsheng had signed a Cooperation Framework Agreement relating to the planned formation of a joint venture in SASREF and significant investments in the Saudi and Chinese petrochemical sectors.
This agreement includes Rongsheng’s potential acquisition of a 50% stake in SASREF, the development of a liquids-to-chemicals expansion project at SASREF, Aramco’s potential acquisition of a 50% stake in Rongsheng affiliate Ningbo Zhongjin Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (ZJPC), and participation in ZJPC’s expansion project.
The agreement with Hengli Group Co., Ltd. advances talks relating to Aramco’s potential acquisition of a 10% stake in Hengli Petrochemical Co., Ltd., subject to due diligence and required regulatory clearances. It follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in April 2024 regarding the proposed transaction.

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Russia's Central Bank Holds Off on Interest Rate Hike

People skate at an ice rink installed at the Red Square decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities, with the St. Basil's Cathedral, left, and the Kremlin, right, in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
People skate at an ice rink installed at the Red Square decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities, with the St. Basil's Cathedral, left, and the Kremlin, right, in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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Russia's Central Bank Holds Off on Interest Rate Hike

People skate at an ice rink installed at the Red Square decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities, with the St. Basil's Cathedral, left, and the Kremlin, right, in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
People skate at an ice rink installed at the Red Square decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities, with the St. Basil's Cathedral, left, and the Kremlin, right, in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russia's central bank has left its benchmark interest rate at 21%, holding off on further increases as it struggles to snuff out inflation fueled by the government's spending on the war against Ukraine.
The decision comes amid criticism from influential business figures, including tycoons close to the Kremlin, that high rates are putting the brakes on business activity and the economy.
According to The Associated Press, the central bank said in a statement that credit conditions had tightened “more than envisaged” by the October rate hike that brought the benchmark to its current record level.
The bank said it would assess the need for any future increases at its next meeting and that inflation was expected to fall to an annual 4% next year from its current 9.5%
Factories are running three shifts making everything from vehicles to clothing for the military, while a labor shortage is driving up wages and fat enlistment bonuses are putting more rubles in people's bank accounts to spend. All that is driving up prices.
On top of that, the weakening Russian ruble raises the prices of imported goods like cars and consumer electronics from China, which has become Russia's biggest trade partner since Western sanctions disrupted economic relations with Europe and the US.
High rates can dampen inflation but also make it more expensive for businesses to get the credit they need to operate and invest.
Critics of the central bank rates and its Governor Elvira Nabiullina have included Sergei Chemezov, the head of state-controlled defense and technology conglomerate Rostec, and steel magnate Alexei Mordashov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin opened his annual news conference on Thursday by saying the economy is on track to grow by nearly 4% this year and that while inflation is “an alarming sign," wages have risen at the same rate and that "on the whole, this situation is stable and secure.”
He acknowledged there had been criticism of the central bank, saying that “some experts believe that the Central Bank could have been more effective and could have started using certain instruments earlier.”
Nabiullina said in November that while the economy is growing, “the rise in prices for the vast majority of goods and services shows that demand is outrunning the expansion of economic capacity and the economy’s potential.”
Russia's military spending is enabled by oil exports, which have shifted from Europe to new customers in India and China who aren't observing sanctions such as a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil sales.