عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

UAE Says to Expand CEPAs in 2025

Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat
Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

UAE Says to Expand CEPAs in 2025

Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat
Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat

Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi has affirmed that the UAE will continue to increase its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) in 2025, targeting additional countries to maximize benefits for the UAE and its global trade partners.

Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted Al Zeyoudi as saying that these agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade, drive sustainable development, increase investments, and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting.

In remarks to WAM, Al Zeyoudi explained that the UAE's CEPAs program is designed to expand the country's commercial and investment partnerships worldwide, positioning the UAE as a key gateway for non-oil goods and services and a global hub for business and investment.

He emphasized that these agreements reflect the UAE's vision, which recognizes the vital role of free trade based on clear rules in driving sustainable economic growth and inclusive development. The agreements' diversity and the UAE's ability to form valuable partnerships across five continents significantly increase opportunities for various sectors and open new markets.

Al Zeyoudi pointed out that the CEPAs have already had a positive effect on various areas of the UAE's foreign trade, particularly non-oil trade, re-export services, logistics, clean and renewable energy, technology, financial services, green industries, advanced materials, agriculture, and sustainable food systems.

He explained that CEPAs continue to have a tangible and direct impact on the country's foreign trade data, positively affecting various vital sectors, including the advanced technology sector.

Since the program's launch in September 2021 until early December 2024, the UAE has concluded 24 CEPAs with countries and international blocs, covering approximately 2.5 billion people—about a quarter of the global population.

In the first half of 2024, UAE foreign trade reached a historic milestone, surpassing AED1.395 trillion, reflecting an 11.2% growth compared to the same period in 2023. The growth rates reached 28.8%, 54.7%, and 66%, compared to the same periods in 2022, 2021, and 2019, respectively.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

Saudi Industry Minister Explores Localization Opportunities with Airbus Helicopters

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and other officials during the meeting. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and other officials during the meeting. (SPA)
TT
TT

Saudi Industry Minister Explores Localization Opportunities with Airbus Helicopters

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and other officials during the meeting. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef and other officials during the meeting. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held talks Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even on the sidelines of the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh to discuss joint opportunities for localizing aerospace industries and their supply chains in the Kingdom.

The meeting reviewed ways to strengthen industrial cooperation and expand strategic partnership opportunities in the localization of aircraft and helicopter manufacturing in Saudi Arabia, said a ministry statement on Tuesday.

It addressed ongoing efforts to localize the production of aluminum panels and titanium processing to support the requirements of the aerospace sector.

The talks underscored the importance of developing enabling models that attract Airbus Helicopters’ global suppliers and facilitate the establishment or expansion of their operations in the Kingdom, contributing to the resilience and sustainability of global aviation supply chains.

Separately, Alkhorayef met with leaders of the Technology Equipment Trading Establishment, which specializes in military industries. They discussed opportunities to localize defense industries in the Kingdom, the enablers supporting local content development, and initiatives to boost national capabilities in military manufacturing.

Business

Bessent Says US, China Could Have Very Productive Relationship

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (KEYSTONE/EDA/Martial Trezzini) /Handout via Reuters
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (KEYSTONE/EDA/Martial Trezzini) /Handout via Reuters
TT
TT

Bessent Says US, China Could Have Very Productive Relationship

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (KEYSTONE/EDA/Martial Trezzini) /Handout via Reuters
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, left, shakes hands with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, right, during a bilateral meeting between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. (KEYSTONE/EDA/Martial Trezzini) /Handout via Reuters

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that the US relationship with China could be very productive and welcomed Beijing as a rival.

"The US-China relationship now is in a very comfortable place. We are going to be rivals, but we want the rivalry to be fair," Bessent said during an appearance at the ‌BTG Pactual ‌CEO Conference, held in Sao Paolo, Brazil. "We ‌do ⁠not want ‌to decouple from China, but we do need to de-risk."

Bessent is preparing to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in coming weeks ahead of a planned visit to China by US President Donald Trump in April.

The Treasury has not given details about the timing or venue for Bessent's meeting with He.

Bessent told the conference ⁠that the US was working on "retaking sovereignty" from China in strategic industries including ‌critical minerals, semiconductors and medicines.

"We're always ‍going to be competitors," he ‍said. "And I'm of the view that competition makes you better, ‍keeps you from stagnating."

In the long run, he said China would have to rebalance its economy, adding, "The world cannot have a situation where China persistently runs a $1 trillion trade surplus. That's just not possible."

Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke with He by phone in December, and both sides agreed to promote the ⁠stable development of bilateral trade and economic ties, China's official Xinhua news agency reported at the time.

Bessent last met with He in Malaysia in October, when both sides discussed a framework agreement under which Beijing agreed to defer export controls on rare earth supplies and Washington dropped a 100% US tariff on Chinese goods.

The US Treasury Secretary has said in recent weeks that China is on track to meet its commitments under a US-China trade agreement, including the purchase of 12 million metric tons ‌of US soybeans, by the end of February.

Business

AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies Highlights Policies to Strengthen Resilience, Support Growth

The second AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies was held in AlUla on February 8–9 - SPA
The second AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies was held in AlUla on February 8–9 - SPA
TT
TT

AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies Highlights Policies to Strengthen Resilience, Support Growth

The second AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies was held in AlUla on February 8–9 - SPA
The second AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies was held in AlUla on February 8–9 - SPA

At the conclusion of the second AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, held in AlUla on February 8–9 and co-organized by the Saudi Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund, Minister of Finance Mohammed Aljadaan and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva issued a joint statement.

The statement expressed appreciation to emerging-market policymakers, leading global academics, and heads of regional and international financial institutions for convening once again in AlUla to discuss the key challenges facing emerging-market economies and the policies needed to strengthen resilience and support growth, SPA reported.

It noted that the second conference reaffirmed the value of a dedicated global forum focused on the shared challenges, opportunities, and aspirations of emerging market economies.

Over the two days, discussions centered on how emerging markets can navigate a global environment characterized by persistent uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, evolving trade patterns, and rapid technological change.

These developments, the statement said, underscore the urgency of strengthening policy frameworks and institutions to bolster resilience and seize opportunities ahead.

Several key messages emerged. First, sound macroeconomic and financial policies—underpinned by strong institutions and effective governance—remain the cornerstone of resilience in an increasingly shock-prone world. Experiences across many emerging markets demonstrate that credible policy frameworks and institutional upgrades have helped deliver better inflation outcomes, maintain financial stability, and preserve market access, even amid heightened uncertainty.

Second, having achieved greater stability, emerging markets now face the challenge of advancing to a new phase of reforms that deliver higher, more sustainable, and more job-rich growth. Unlocking private-sector potential will be central to this effort, including by deepening financial markets, reducing barriers to entrepreneurship and investment, and harnessing artificial intelligence through investments in digital infrastructure and skills development to help young people thrive in a changing global labor market.

Third, amid shifting trade and investment patterns, deeper intra-regional and inter-regional integration presents significant opportunities. Strengthening trade and regional cooperation remains critical as emerging markets adapt to the evolving global economic landscape.

According to SPA, the statement concluded by welcoming the commitment shown by emerging market economies to work together, learn from one another, and act decisively to address global challenges, and by expressing anticipation of continuing these discussions and building on the momentum at future editions of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies.