SHANGHAI: Visitors to a vast trade fair meant to rebrand China as a welcoming import market could sip Moroccan wine, ogle Italian yachts and watch a Japanese industrial robot play ping-pong.
The communist government’s marketing extravaganza involving 3,600 companies from 152 countries showcases the promise and challenges of China’s growing, state-dominated and intensely competitive markets.
At a stand for German robot maker Jungheinrich, spectators watched a bright yellow automated forklift shift bulky cartons. A manager, Christian Wurzinger, said China accounts for one-third of its global sales but the Hamburg company wants to expand beyond factories and logistics into health and other industries.
The expo gives “very good access to Chinese companies, especially outside big cities,” said Wurzinger. “We are lucky to be here.”
Still, he said Jungheinrich already faces Chinese competition: “There are plenty of local Chinese manufacturers with pretty good technology, to be honest.”
The China International Import Expo is part of efforts to develop China-centered world trading networks while resisting pressure to roll back industry plans that Washington, Europe, Japan and other governments say violate its market-opening obligations.
China already is the No. 1 market for most of its Asian neighbors. But a big share of those imports is iron ore, computer chips and other materials that are turned into smartphones, toys and other goods for export.
That is changing as communist leaders promote consumer spending as part of efforts to develop self-sustaining economic growth and reduce reliance on trade and investment. That holds out the promise of a market of 1.4 billion consumers, even if incomes are a fraction of those in developed countries.
On the expo’s opening day, President Xi Jinping promised Monday to boost imports, cut costs for importers, protect patents and improve consumer spending power. But he did not address US and European complaints about technology policy that prompted President Donald Trump to impose penalty tariffs of up to 25 percent on $250 billion of Chinese goods.
Importers into China must contend with a thicket of restrictions and, in autos and other industries, pressure to help develop potential Chinese competitors as the price of market access.
Tarvand Saffron, an Iranian exporter of saffron, was invited to the expo by a Chinese state-owned company. But export manager Amir Reza Jalalian said food regulations bar sales of its product in China.
“Maybe in the future we can import saffron,” Jalalian said, as visitors crowded around the company’s stand to smell the crimson spice.
Business groups complain that while Beijing increases imports to serve its factories and consumers, foreign companies are being squeezed out of technology and other promising industries.
Exhibitors at the expo ranged from General Motors and Lego toys to Brazilian shoemakers, a Korean dumpling brand and Uganda’s National Enterprise Corp., an exporter of coffee and honey.
Visitors crowded around a stand for Japan’s Omron Corp. to watch an industrial robot hit a ping-pong ball back and forth with a human opponent.
Global auto, aerospace and technology brands already are well known in China, suggesting many were at the expo not to sell but to nurture relations with the Communist Party by showing support for Xi’s trade initiative.
“For the bulk of China’s imports, these expos don’t make much difference,” said Gareth Leather of Capital Economics. “For companies from smaller, developing countries, probably at the margins they do make a bit of a difference.”
At a stand promoting Polish poultry, visitors lined up for bowls of chicken in cream sauce made by cooks led by celebrity chef Artur Moroz.
Nearby, visitors sipped red and white wines from La Ferme Rouge, a winery in Morocco in North Africa. It produces exclusive batches under the labels of luxury hotels in Morocco and wants to market that service to high-end Chinese hotels and restaurants.
“It’s a big opportunity for us to enter this part of the market,” said Rita Sourelah, a manager.
The expo also highlighted the blurring of lines as Chinese companies acquire US and European brands and technology to sell at home.
Weichai Group, a Chinese shipbuilder, displayed a luxury cabin cruiser made by Italy’s Ferretti, in which Weichai bought a 75 percent stake in 2012.
Other hybrid importers included Sweden’s Volvo Cars, a unit of Chinese automaker Geely Holding; General Electric Appliances, acquired by China’s Haier Group in 2016, and California-based solar supplier MiaSole, part of Beijing-based Hanergy Group.
Import extravaganza highlights China’s promise and challenges
Import extravaganza highlights China’s promise and challenges
- Beijing plans China-centered world trading networks
- Critics say foreign firms squeezed out of technology
Saudi Arabia leads the charge toward energy transition: report
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is emerging as a proactive leader, pioneering green initiatives to mitigate economic challenges posed by the transformation toward sustainability, according to the International Monetary Fund.
A recent report by the IMF highlighted the intricate dynamics at play and underscored the Gulf Cooperation Council and Saudi Arabia’s strategic positioning in this evolving scenario.
Titled “Key Challenges Faced by Fossil Fuel Exporters during the Energy Transition,” the study discussed climate change mitigation efforts in many fossil fuel exporting countries.
As Saudi Arabia and its GCC counterparts continue to lead the charge toward sustainability, they set a precedent for the global community.
By embracing green initiatives, investing in renewable energy, and fostering economic diversification, these nations are paving the way for a sustainable future, balancing economic prosperity with environmental responsibility.
The report emphasized that the Saudi Green Initiative launched in 2021 aimed at combating climate change and reducing carbon emissions.
It explained: “The Green Initiative is centered around three objectives, including targets for increasing the share of renewable energy in electricity generation up to 50 percent by 2030 and the deployment of circular carbon economy technologies, including carbon capture utilization and storage.”
Key challenges
The IMF stressed the need for economic diversification to effectively mitigate the impact of declining fossil fuel revenues.
Highlighting Saudi Arabia’s progress in economic diversification, the report explained: “The non-oil sector growth has accelerated since 2021, reaching 4.8 percent in 2022 spurred by strong domestic demand, especially in the wholesale, retail trade, construction, and transport sectors.”
Similarly, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE are diversifying their economies away from hydrocarbons, the study added.
In the UAE, non-hydrocarbon GDP was expected to grow by 5.3 percent in 2022, driven by tourism and FIFA World Cup impacts.
Progress on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements will further boost trade, attract foreign direct investment, and enhance integration with global value chains, according to the report.
The IMF highlighted that in Saudi Arabia, “the share of high-skilled jobs has increased to more than 40 percent in 2022, and female labor force participation doubled in four years to reach 37 percent in 2022.”
In its report, the Washington-based lender said the governments heavily reliant on revenues from fossil fuel exports face challenges in maintaining fiscal sustainability as these revenues decline.
“Countries with significant exposure to the fossil fuel industry may experience higher financial sector risks, including balance sheet effects, asset devaluation, and increased vulnerability to international market fluctuations,” it said.
The report added that transitioning away from fossil fuels may result in job losses in the fossil fuel industry, necessitating retraining programs and support for affected workers.
It called for structural reforms to address all the issues. “Accelerating structural reforms to diversify export bases and develop alternative industries is critical for mitigating the adverse macroeconomic effects of the energy transition,”the report said.
The IMF stressed the need for coordinated global efforts to overcome all these challenges. “Collaborative efforts can help ensure a smooth transition, mitigate transition costs, and support affected countries in diversifying their economies,” the report said.
New service at Jeddah port to boost Saudi-India trade
RIYADH: Saudi and Indian traders are set to benefit from Jeddah Islamic Port’s new service, bolstering trade connectivity between the nations.
The Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, on Thursday said that Unifeeder, a Danish logistics company, has introduced the “RGI” shipping service at the Saudi port. This initiative connects the Kingdom to Indian checkpoints, facilitating trade between the two nations and offering expedited and secure solutions for exporters and suppliers.
In a statement, Mawani affirmed that this undertaking showcases investors’ confidence in the Kingdom’s terminals, bolsters maritime transport and logistics services, and solidifies Jeddah Islamic Port’s status.
It added that the seaport is the Kingdom’s first dock for exports and imports, and the first re-export point in the Red Sea, with 62 multipurpose berths and a capacity of 130 million tonnes.
The new shipping service connects the Jeddah terminal to the ports of Mundra and Nhava Sheva in India, Jebel Ali in the UAE, and Sokhna in Egypt through regular weekly trips, with a capacity of up to 2,824 twenty-foot equivalent units, Mawani noted.
Mideast sets record in renewable energy capacity, Saudi Arabia reaches 2.6 GW: IRENA
RIYADH: Renewable energy capacity in the Middle East soared to a record high in 2023, with the addition of 5.1 gigawatts, marking a 16.6 percent increase from the previous year.
According to the latest data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency, this new addition brought the region’s total renewable energy capacity to 35.54 GW, with Saudi Arabia accounting for 2.68 GW.
The data showed that global green power capacity reached 3,870 GW in 2023, marking a 13.9 percent increase over the previous year. This represents the largest surge in sustainable energy capacity to date, with the addition of 473 GW.
Green sources constituted a record-breaking 86 percent of global power additions, primarily driven by substantial expansions in solar and wind energy.
Solar power alone contributed nearly three-quarters of renewable additions, totaling a record 346 GW, while an additional 116 GW of wind energy was incorporated, the report added.
Francesco La Camera, director general of IRENA, said: “Despite these unprecedented renewable additions in 2023, the world is still falling short of what is required to achieve the goal adopted at COP28 to triple installed renewable power capacity by 2030 to reach 11 TW.”
With one less year to meet the goal, he emphasized that the world now requires additions of approximately 1,050 GW each year for the remainder of this decade to align with the World Energy Transitions Outlook scenario and maintain a trajectory toward limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The growth of sustainable energy is unevenly distributed globally, with Asia leading the expansion with a 473 GW increase, primarily propelled by China’s 63 percent surge to 297.6 GW. This highlights a notable discrepancy with other regions, particularly developing countries. While Africa saw some growth, it was modest at 4.6 percent, reaching 62 GW.
By the end of 2023, Camera said, renewable energy sources comprised 43 percent of the global installed power capacity.
“Yet, as we draw closer to a world in which renewable energy accounts for half of total capacity, many energy planning questions still need to be addressed to establish renewables as the most significant source of electricity generation - including in the context of grid flexibility and adaptation to variable renewable power,” he added.
ACWA Power signs $800m water purchase agreement with Senegal
RIYADH: Saudi energy giant ACWA Power has signed an SR3 billion ($800 million) agreement with Senegal’s Ministry of Water to develop a desalination plant.
The company, partly owned by the Public Investment Fund, announced the inking of a water purchase agreement for the construction of the facility in Dakar, Senegal in a statement on the Saudi Stock Exchange, Tadawul.
ACWA Power will be responsible for the infrastructure, design and financing as well as construction, operation and maintenance of the Grande Cote seawater desalination plant in the West African country.
The project will have a production capacity of 400,000 cubic meters per day, the statement said.
Its first phase and financial impact are expected to materialize by the first quarter of 2028, with a contract duration of 32 years.
This marks a continued partnership between the company and Senegal, as it has previously signed a memorandum of understanding with the Senegalese National Water Co. and the country’s National Electricity Co. in September 2022.
The MoU entailed the development of a 300,000 cubic meters per day seawater reverse osmosis plant in Grande Cote, located about 40 km north of the nation’s capital.
The development was the first desalination project in the country to be facilitated through a public-private partnership and the largest treatment initiative of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NEOM CEO lands in top 3 of Forbes’ Real Estate Leaders list
RIYADH: NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr has been ranked third in Forbes Middle East’s “Most Impactful Real Estate Leaders” list, underlining the Kingdom’s prominence in the sector.
The giga-project chief was placed beneath Mohamed Alabbar from UAE-based Emaar Properties and Talal Al-Dhiyebi, CEO of Abu Dhabi-headquartered Aldar Properties.
The Kingdom had the second-most entries on the list, with 23 Saudis appearing in the publication’s rankings.
This is a testament to the major investments the nation has made in its real estate sector, a statement from Forbes noted.
“Governments, corporates, and semi-government developers are investing in real estate projects throughout the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE. These projects are giving a huge boost to the regional construction sector, which also has a positive outlook over the next few years,” the statement said.
Demonstrating this, several leading Saudi companies landed within the top 20 of the list.
Among them was David Grover, the CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund subsidiary, ROSHN Group, who ranked eighth place.
This is a testament to the giga-project’s vital role in enabling the achievement of Vision 2030 through the expansion of the private sector and the creation of job opportunities.
Similarly, the CEO of the Kingdom’s National Housing Co., Mohammad Al-Buty, ranked 13th, while the founder of Dar Al-Arkan Saudi Development Co., Yousef Al-Shelash, was placed 14th in an evaluation of 100 regional companies.
The criteria for the rating system are based on the company’s financials, value of projects completed, and reputation of project delivery, as well as the land bank units held by the developer.
Entities featured on the list based on this methodology include nine countries in the region. The UAE leads with 33 companies named, six of which are in the top 10.
Saudi Arabia followed with 23 companies, while Egypt came third, with 20 companies in the ranking.
This is driven by the fact that real estate sale transactions in the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council between January and October 2023 reached $171.6 billion, up 21.1 percent year-on-year, according to a report by Kamco Invest.
In 2024, the property sector continues to have promising long-term potential. Robust economic growth, expanding population, and government investment could all contribute to increasing demand for real estate, the statement by Forbes highlighted.