Oil & Gas PetroChina takes control of Iraqi oilfield from ExxonMobil US energy giant ExxonMobil Corp has officially exited the West Qurna 1 oilfield in Iraq, handing over its operations to Chinese oil and gas major PetroChina as lead contractor. “We are meeting today to bid farewell to ExxonMobil, and at the same time we congratulate PetroChina for becoming the lead contractor,” Basim Mohammed, deputy oil […] January 2, 2024
Analysis Trade Gulf’s pivot to Asia set to keep on rolling in 2024 2023 has been the year of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement, better known as the Cepa, as the UAE seeks to increase non-oil trade to $1.1 trillion (AED4 trillion) by 2031. The Emirates has seven deals in the bag and several more in the pipeline – and like many of its Gulf neighbours, it is […] December 27, 2023
Energy UAE and China to explore global nuclear partnership The UAE’s Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) will explore development and co-investment opportunities for new nuclear energy plants around the world. Mohamed Al Hammadi, managing director and chief executive of ENEC, and Yu Jianfeng, chairman of CNNC, signed a cooperation agreement during the Cop28 summit which ended last week, […] December 18, 2023
Opinion Economy Sisi’s third term heralds a new economic blueprint Financial crisis looms but Egypt is 'too big to fail' December 14, 2023
Trade Saudi Arabia and China sign $25bn of deals Deals worth more than $25 billion have been signed at the Saudi-China Investment Conference in Beijing. More than 60 agreements and memoranda of understanding were completed at Tuesday’s meeting, the Saudi Ministry of Investment said in a statement. The deals covered sectors including energy, agriculture, tourism, mining, financial services, logistics, infrastructure, technology and healthcare. About […] December 12, 2023
Analysis Trade Saudi leaders gather in Beijing to boost $106bn trade Saudi Arabia’s investment minister Khalid Al Falih is leading a delegation in Beijing this week as the kingdom looks to tighten ties with its largest trade partner. Government and private sector leaders will participate in the China-Saudi Investment Conference on Tuesday, as part of Al Falih’s six-day visit. China-Saudi trade stood at $106 billion in […] December 11, 2023
Analysis Finance Gold to glisten despite world’s economic concerns Central bank demand helped lift gold prices to all-time highs this month and further accumulation should support the precious metal next year despite a likely slowdown in the global economy, a top industry official has told AGBI. Gold’s performance is important to the United Arab Emirates. The country is a major processor and the world’s […] December 10, 2023
Industry Chinese firm to build $2bn industrial complex in Egypt Chinese company Befar Group will build a $2 billion industrial green complex in Suez Canal Economic Zone for the production of specialised chemicals, according to a local media report. The project’s initial phase will see investments of $500 million, leading to the creation of 1,000 jobs, Egypt Today newspaper reported. The complex is expected to […] December 4, 2023
Trade UAE and China renew $4.9bn currency swap deal The UAE and China have renewed their currency swap agreement to settle cross-border financial and trade transactions in local currencies. The Central Bank of the UAE and the People’s Bank of China signed a currency swap agreement with a nominal value of AED18 billion ($4.9 billion) for the next five years, UAE state-owned Wam news […] November 29, 2023
Markets Saudi exchange-traded fund to list in Hong Kong Saudi Arabia’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) will be listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange tomorrow. Investors will be able to trade the constituent stocks of the Saudi stock market directly in the Hong Kong market through the ETF in Hong Kong dollars or renminbi, state-owned Xinhua news agency reported, citing Paul Chan, financial secretary of […] November 28, 2023
Economy US-China tensions among risks facing Middle East The divide between China and the US is one of the top five global risks facing businesses in the coming year, according to consultancy Control Risks. But commentators said the Middle East would continue to engage economically and politically with both superpowers, with little negative impact on trade flows. Control Risks’ annual “RiskMap” forecast highlights […] November 20, 2023
Opinion Sustainability This year’s Cop will be the most complex yet The UAE’s Cop28 agenda will tackle thorny but imperative issues November 20, 2023
Opinion Economy Egypt must weigh up finance woes with key role in conflict The country has a crucial part to play November 17, 2023
Analysis Trade China shows faith in Egypt with deeper investment When President Xi Jinping welcomed the prime minister of Egypt, Mostafa Madbouly, to Beijing’s Great Hall of the People in October, it was a signal that China is stepping up bilateral co-operation with Cairo. Their meeting, on the sidelines of the Belt and Road forum, took place as Egypt grapples with mounting debt and delays […] November 15, 2023
Opinion Economy China’s slump won’t stop the GCC good times Commodity exporters may be bruised but China is not yet a major provider of FDI to most of the GCC November 10, 2023
Oil & Gas Growing ‘dark fleet’ carries sanctioned oil to China More than 600 ships, often old tankers which are unsafe and whose ownership is obscure, are transporting Iranian and Venezuelan crude around the world. The numbers of vessels and cargoes are growing, industry experts told AGBI. The ships turn off their transponders – a vessel’s automatic identification system or AIS – to go ‘dark’. They […] November 9, 2023
Analysis Sustainability What Big Oil says about climate change The role to be played by Big Oil in global efforts to tackle climate change will be central to the debate at the Cop28 summit that begins in Dubai in three weeks. Ending the world’s dependence on oil in its current form is seen as vital if the worst effects of rising temperatures are to […] November 9, 2023
Industry PIF in talks to invest $250m in Chinese EV company Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is discussing investing $250 million in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Human Horizons Group. The kingdom’s sovereign fund’s investment could potentially value the Shanghai-based company at $3 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing informed sources. An agreement is likely to be reached by the end of the year, but it could […] November 8, 2023
Manufacturing Abu Dhabi strikes deal with Chinese province of Jiangsu Abu Dhabi is turning to the Chinese province of Jiangsu, the 12th largest economy in the world, as it seeks to expand its manufacturing sector. The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Cooperation and Investment Company have signed an agreement that aims to attract more Chinese industrial investments. The focus is […] November 7, 2023
Economy China injects $956m into Egypt’s central bank The China Development Bank (CDB) has injected ¥7 billion ($956 million) into Egypt’s central bank to help finance projects agreed upon during the third Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) summit last month. The funds are part of a loan agreement signed during the summit in Beijing, as well as the nine programmes outlined in 2021’s […] November 3, 2023
Trade UAE non-oil trade with BRI nations hits $305bn Non-oil trade between the UAE and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries reached $305 billion in the first half of 2023, growing more than 13 percent year on year, according to economy minister Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri. Trading with BRI nations accounted for 90 percent of the UAE’s non-oil trade during the period, the UAE […] October 24, 2023
Analysis Trade GCC chief predicts China free trade deal ‘soon’ China and the GCC will sign a free trade agreement “soon”, according to a Gulf official, nearly 20 years after negotiations began. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the GCC’s secretary general, has predicted the deal will be “wrapped up during the next short period”, adding that its fruits “will be reaped as soon as possible”. His comments […] October 23, 2023
