Talk of deal comes as other Hong Kong-listed companies announce take-private moves
Updated 14 November 2020
Reuters
HONG KONG: Private equity firm Hillhouse Capital Group is in talks to take property developer SOHO China private, said four people with knowledge of the matter, in a deal that could be worth more than $2 billion and accentuate a trend in Hong Kong.
Asia-focused Hillhouse has been in discussions with SOHO China over the past few months, said the sources. The husband-wife team of chairman Pan Shiyi and chief executive Zhang Xin owns 64 percent of SOHO China, a mainland company that is well-known for its futuristic office buildings.
A deal for taking the developer private could come after Hong Kong-listed companies have announced take-private deals worth $20 billion so far in 2020, more than double last year’s annual volume, according to Refinitiv data. Undervalued shares were often cited as a reason for such deals.
But with so much cash available with private equity and other long term investors and a dearth of avenues to earn decent returns, average premiums paid by buyers for those deals jumped to 42 percent this year from 34 percent in 2018, as per Refinitiv.
SOHO China’s shares soared more than 40 percent in afternoon trade on Friday after Reuters reported the take-private talks. They ended up 7 percent higher.
Before Friday’s gain, SOHO China had a market value of about $1.5 billion and its shares had slumped 24 percent this year, compared to an 8 percent fall of the benchmark Hang Seng Index.
Hillhouse is considering assuming about 18 billion yuan ($2.72 billion) of SOHO China loans as part of its leveraged buyout, said one source. The developer had 33 billion yuan in total debt as of end-June, according to its 2020 interim report.
HIGHLIGHTS
● Deal would mark Hillhouse’s biggest bet on Chinese real estate.
● HK-listed firms announced take-private deals worth $20bn in 2020.
● Average premiums for HK take-private deals rose to 42 percent this year.
The SOHO China talks are at an early stage and subject to change, said the sources, who declined to be identified due to confidentiality constraints.
Hillhouse declined to comment ahead of publication of the story. In a statement later to Reuters, Hillhouse said it “has no interest in the take-private of SOHO China.” SOHO China didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The talks with Hillhouse would be a second shot at going private this year for SOHO China. Blackstone Group walked away from a $4 billion deal earlier in 2020 to take it private. Blackstone declined to comment when contacted by Reuters on Friday.
For Hillhouse, SOHO China would represent its biggest bet on the Chinese real estate market, even in the face of a softening office property market amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Founded by Chinese businessman Zhang Lei, Hillhouse is raising what would be Asia’s largest US dollar-denominated fund targeting $13 billion, and its largest-ever yuan fund of over 20 billion yuan, Reuters has reported.
The deal would be a landmark for Joe Gagnon, the former Warburg Pincus veteran Hillhouse hired earlier this year to lead its real estate investment team built from scratch.
Founded in 1995 by Pan and Zhang, SOHO China went public in Hong Kong in 2007. The developer has been scouting buyers for its prime commercial property assets for the past two years as the founders looked to shift their focus to overseas markets. However, talks have failed so far mainly on price, said two of the people.
Buying the company is simpler than acquiring its properties individually and would provide Hillhouse with more certainty in completing a transaction, said one of the people.
Kingdom’s mineral wealth valued at $2.5tn, positioning mining as a third pillar of the national economy
Updated 07 March 2026
Ghadi Joudah
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is accelerating its push into mining as part of its economic transformation under Vision 2030, amid the growing importance of critical minerals and rare earths.
The Kingdom’s mineral wealth is valued at $2.5 trillion, positioning mining as a third pillar of the national economy alongside hydrocarbons.
The mining industry could give Saudi Arabia an edge in transition minerals and supply chains by expanding extraction, processing and the logistics needed to move materials to market, according to economists and industry specialists.
Saudi Arabia is home to more than 45 identified minerals, including gold, copper and uranium, according to the Vision 2030 strategy.
Momentum has been supported by measures aimed at making mining easier to invest in and faster to scale, including updated regulations, digital licensing platforms, specialized mining services, and new transport and rail links to mining areas.
Vision 2030 aims to raise mining’s contribution to gross domestic product to SR240 billion ($63 billion) by 2030, create 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, and attract $27 billion in new investment, according to published government targets.
Signs of progress are starting to show in the mining sector in terms of exploration activity, licensing and new discoveries.
“The mining strategy shows it’s working very well, evidenced by the rapid rise in exploration and industrial licenses, and major new mineral discoveries,” Talat Hafiz, an economist and financial analyst, told Arab News.
Saudi Arabia is undertaking the world’s largest geological survey, covering about 700,000 sq. km of the Arabian Shield for $1.5 billion, he said.
The number of mining licenses issued exceeds 2,000, according to official data, and the Kingdom’s mineral wealth is valued at 90 percent higher than it was in 2016 when Vision 2030 was rolled out.
A key milestone highlighted in Vision 2030’s mining strategy was the introduction of a new mining investment law, which reduced the tax rate to 20 percent from 45 percent to spur investment and align the sector with global standards.
The Kingdom’s mining resources position it well to be a critical supplier of raw materials that are integral to energy transition as clean-energy technologies require large volumes of mined materials.
Copper is central to electrification and power networks, while battery supply chains rely on minerals such as nickel and lithium. Phosphate is a key industrial input with wider economic value.
Reliable supplies of metals and minerals used in power grids, batteries and electric vehicles can attract investment and support downstream industry in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s Jabal Sayid site, northeast of Jeddah, ranks among the world’s top four resources for rare earth elements, Khalid Al-Mudaifer, vice minister of industry and mineral resources for mining affairs, recently told Al Eqtisadiah.
It will help meet Saudi Arabia’s needs for minerals used in magnet manufacturing, EVs and wind energy, while also supporting global supply, including the US market, he said.
Mining can also catalyze investment in the Kingdom, widen supply-chain employment, and boost non-oil exports and private-sector growth, according to economists and policymakers.
Mines, processing plants and the infrastructure around them require large upfront capital spending, creating a pipeline of work across construction, equipment, utilities and logistics.
The mining industry could give Saudi Arabia an edge in transition minerals and supply chains by expanding extraction, processing and the logistics needed to move materials to market. (Shutterstock)
“When a mining sector scales, the economic footprint extends well beyond extraction,” said Turki Al-Nahari, vice president of global mining at Ecolab, told Arab News. “Growth typically occurs across engineering services, industrial water management, logistics, laboratory testing, equipment reliability, environmental services and digital performance systems.
“That shift creates demand for skilled engineers, technicians, data analysts and operational specialists,” he added.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia’s mining exploration budget increased 600 percent to $146 million from $21 million in 2022.
“This growth is driven by ongoing geological surveys, technological advancements and higher exploitation budgets, all of which signal stability and opportunity, attracting foreign investment,” Manraj Lamba, a mining economics analyst at S&P Global, said in a recent report.
Mining projects are easier to finance when the size and quality of the deposit are clear, costs are competitive, and rules and taxes are stable, Abdullah Al-Harbi, an economist familiar with the industry, told Arab News.
Investors want solid feasibility work, credible timelines and evidence a project can stay profitable through swings in commodity prices, Al-Harbi said.
Saudi Arabia’s pipeline includes 24 exploration-stage projects and 17 more advanced developments, according to S&P Global.
“Its proactive approach to geological surveys and resource assessment has uncovered significant potential across gold, copper, phosphate and bauxite,” Lamba said.
Large projects also tend to generate employment across a wider industrial supply chain, including contractors, maintenance, laboratories, transport and a range of operational services.
To boost employment and support hiring and training, Saudi Arabia has moved to standardize job roles and skills for the mining industry.
HIGHLIGHT
Vision 2030 aims to raise mining’s contribution to gross domestic product to SR240 billion ($63 billion) by 2030, create 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, and attract $27 billion in new investment.
The Kingdom rolled out a framework related to employment and skills in the mining industry in January at the Global Labor Market Conference.
The framework is “a tool which ensures clear definitions of occupations and their required skills,” the Kingdom’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef said. It will cover more than 500 job roles, detail the necessary skills, responsibilities and titles, he added.
Exports from the sector are already rising in tandem with investments to develop the industry and create jobs.
Saudi Arabia exported 5.7 million tonnes of phosphate fertilizer in 2024, up about 6 percent from 2023, according to a GASTAT report.
As the energy transition accelerates, Saudi Arabia’s advantage may be strongest beyond extraction alone.
“Saudi Arabia’s most realistic advantage in the accelerating energy transition lies in combining selective mining with strong processing and refining capabilities, supported by its emerging role as a logistics and supply-chain hub,” Hafiz said.
The Kingdom’s position between Africa, Europe, and Asia favors downstream processing and value-added industries, he added.
“Saudi Arabia is prioritizing minerals that are both financeable and strategically aligned with emerging industries such as electric vehicles and clean energy technologies, where markets are clear, and demand is scalable,” Hafiz said.
Aluminum, phosphate, and similar commodities remain a key focus to support local manufacturing, infrastructure development and downstream industries while strengthening export capacity, he said.
“Once construction concludes, the priority shifts to operational stability and performance optimization,” Al-Nahari said.
“Small efficiency gains, applied consistently across large-scale operations, compound materially over time,” influencing cost as well as uptime and competitiveness over the life of a mine, he added.
As the global race toward electrification and decarbonization accelerates, the Kingdom is effectively positioning itself beyond its oil legacy with its strategic commitment to the minerals sector, which will play a critical role in powering the future.
Its investment in exploration, infrastructure, and downstream processing anchor it as a pivotal supplier in the critical minerals and rare earths value chain in the era of energy transition.
