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Saudi Railway Company CEO: Saudi Arabia to Localize Railway Industry

Al-Haramain highspeed train (SPA)
Al-Haramain highspeed train (SPA)
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Saudi Railway Company CEO: Saudi Arabia to Localize Railway Industry

Al-Haramain highspeed train (SPA)
Al-Haramain highspeed train (SPA)

The Saudi Railway Company (SAR) is preparing to launch a specialized program to localize the railway industry in the coming days. This comes as SAR surpassed 50% local spending in 2023, with plans to reach 60% by 2025 through partnerships with industry stakeholders.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, CEO of SAR Dr. Bashar Al Malik said the program will be unveiled during the Saudi International Railway Conference, set to take place on November 20–21 in Riyadh.

Held under the patronage of Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of SAR, the inaugural edition of the conference will showcase the latest advancements and innovations in the railway sector at both local and international levels.

According to Al Malik, the conference will outline specific objectives and present promising investment opportunities in the railway sector. These include establishing manufacturing facilities within Saudi Arabia, localizing services, and transferring expertise through partnerships with leading global railway companies. The initiative aims to empower the private sector, support small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and invest in cutting-edge technologies to ensure sustainability in operations.

He further explained that SAR has implemented numerous initiatives in recent years in collaboration with public and private entities to localize industries related to the operation and maintenance of rail infrastructure. This effort has significantly increased local spending, enhanced private sector participation, and created over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, with a Saudization rate exceeding 88%.

Al Malik highlighted Saudi Arabia’s leadership in adopting electric high-speed trains with zero carbon emissions, such as the Haramain High-Speed Railway. Additionally, SAR has conducted hydrogen train trials, marking the first such initiative in the Middle East and Africa. This reflects the company’s commitment to the Saudi Green Initiative, he remarked.

According to Al Malik, rail transport represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly option, significantly reducing the number of trucks and cars on highways. He stressed that this shift directly contributes to lowering harmful carbon emissions, protecting the environment, preserving road infrastructure, and improving traffic safety.

Moreover, Al Malik emphasized the critical role of railways as a key enabler of logistics in many countries, facilitating cargo transportation, promoting trade, and driving economic growth.

In Saudi Arabia, railways play a vital role in maintaining the smooth flow of global trade, especially during geopolitical challenges, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He revealed that Saudi trains efficiently transported large volumes of containers and goods from the Red Sea after many shipping lines rerouted their vessels to ports in the Eastern Province, such as Dammam and Jubail, which are connected to SAR’s rail network. These shipments were then seamlessly transported to Riyadh’s dry port via SAR freight trains.

Al Malik further noted that Saudi Arabia is developing two flagship projects: the Land Bridge and the GCC Railway Link, which he said will play a pivotal role in achieving Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of becoming a global logistics hub connecting three continents.

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China Hits Back at US and Will Raise Tariffs on American Goods from 84% to 125%

An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
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China Hits Back at US and Will Raise Tariffs on American Goods from 84% to 125%

An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indices as people walk on a pedestrian bridge at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai, China April 11, 2025. REUTERS/Go Nakamura

China announced Friday that it will raise tariffs on US goods from 84% to 125% — the latest salvo in an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies that has rattled markets and raised fears of a global slowdown.

While US President Donald Trump paused import taxes this week for other countries, he raised tariffs on China and they now total 145%. China has denounced the policy as “economic bullying" and promised countermeasures. The new tariffs begin Saturday.

Washington's repeated raising of tariffs “will become a joke in the history of the world economy,” a Chinese Finance Ministry spokesman said in a statement announcing the new tariffs. “However, if the US insists on continuing to substantially infringe on China’s interests, China will resolutely counter and fight to the end.”

China’s Commerce Ministry said it would file another lawsuit with the World Trade Organization against the US tariffs.

“There are no winners in a tariff war,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said during a meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, according to a readout from state broadcaster CCTV. “For more than 70 years, China has always relied on itself ... and hard work for development, never relying on favors from anyone, and not fearing any unreasonable suppression.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday said China stands firm against Trump’s tariffs not only to defend its own rights and interests but also to “safeguard the common interests of the international community to ensure that humanity is not dragged back into a jungle world where might makes right.”

Wang made the remarks when he met Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Beijing. Wang said China will “work together with other countries to jointly resist all retrogressive actions in the world.”

Trump's on-again, off-again measures have caused alarm in stock and bond markets and led some to warn that the US could be headed for a recession. There was some relief when Trump paused the tariffs for most countries — but concerns remain since the US and China are the world's No. 1 and No. 2 economies, respectively.

“The risk that this escalating trade war tips the world into a recession is rising as the two largest and most powerful countries in the world continue to punch back with higher and higher tariffs,” Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital markets, wrote Friday. “No one truly knows when this will end.”

Chinese tariffs will affect goods like soybeans, aircrafts and their parts and drugs — all among the country's major imports from the US Beijing, meanwhile, suspended sorghum, poultry and bonemeal imports from some American companies last week, and put more export controls on rare earth minerals, critical for various technologies.

The United States' top imports from China, meanwhile, include electronics, like computers and cell phones, industrial equipment and toys — and consumers and businesses are likely to see prices rise on those products, with tariffs now at 145%.

Trump announced on Wednesday that China would face 125% tariffs, but he did not include a 20% tariff on China tied to its role in fentanyl production.

White House officials hope the import taxes will create more manufacturing jobs by bringing production back to the United States — a politically risky trade-off that could take years to materialize, if at all.