China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), the precursor of which is railway corps, initiated by China Railway Construction Corporation, was established on November 5, 2007 in Beijing, and is an ultra-large construction enterprise in the charge of state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Committee (SASAC).
CRCC was listed on March 10, 2008 in Shanghai, and on March 13, 2008 in Hong Kong (A-shares code 601186, H-shares code 1186), with 8.0 billion registered capitals.
On Febr. 10, 2009, CRCC, and Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs signed the contract for the Al Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah Metro Project — Southern Line (MMMP-SL) in the presence of top leaders of both China and Saudi Arabia.
MMMP-SL, the first project since the framework agreement of the infrastructure co-operation between China and Saudi Arabia signed by both governments, has greatly promoted bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and contributed to fostering stronger Sino-Saudi relationships.
Additionally, it is the first EPC+O&M project (Engineering, Procurement and Construction + Operation and Maintenance), executed by a Chinese enterprise as the principal contractor overseas.
For the first time, European certification authorities awarded certificates to a Chinese principal contractor for a large railway project in the global market.
Makkah Metro is designed to be the most intensely used railway with the highest levels of passenger ridership (pilgrims) capacity, operated in the most complicated operational modes.
It is also recognized to be the fastest built and fastest operated in the highest outdoor temperatures in the world for an operating railway.
With the support and care of Chinese and Saudi Arabian governmental departments, CRCC took only 16 months to complete the project and opened for Haj transportation services according to the contract.
In the past four years of Haj, the metro carried more than 12 million passengers.
The success of Makkah Metro has generated positive influence and received global praise and recognition from Muslims worldwide.
This project — supported by Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs — not only creates a miracle in the world of railway construction, but has also established the commitment for the ongoing friendship between China and the Kingdom and the Islamic world.
CRCC, one of the world’s most powerful and largest integrated construction groups, ranking the 100th among “the world’s top 500” on 2013 “Fortune,” and the 11th among “China’s top 500 enterprises,” the first among “the top 250 global contractors” on 2013, is the largest engineering contractor in China, also China’s largest overseas engineering contractor.
At the end of 2010, its total assets reached 350.1 billion yuan, an increase of 23.75 percent year-on-year net assets 58.2 billion yuan, and the annual total of new contracts 747.2 billion yuan, including overseas new contracts 25.91 billion, operating income 470.2 billion yuan, total profits and taxes 22.8 billion.
CRCC business covers project contracting, survey design consultation,industrial manufacturing, real estate development, logistics, trade of goods and materials as well as capital operations, has developed mainly from construction contract into a complete industrial chain of research, planning, prospecting and designing, construction, supervision, maintenance, operation and financing, and is able to provide proprietors with one-stop integrated services.
And CRCC has established its leadership position in project design and construction fields in plateau railways, high-speed railways, highways, bridges, tunnels and urban rail traffic.
Since the 1980s, CRCC has won 363 national awards in the fields of project contracting, survey, design, consultation, etc. among them, 55 national science and technology progress awards, 74 national prospecting and designing “four excellent” awards, 39 Zhan Tianyou civil engineering awards, 124 national quality engineering awards and 71 China construction engineering Luban awards.
CRCC has extended its scope of business to 31 provinces (municipalities), autonomous regions, Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions except Taiwan and more than 60 countries and regions around the world.
The company has a strong professional team, especially including one member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 5 national prospecting and designing masters and 191 experts who enjoy the State Council special allowance.
Over the past 60 years, the company has inherited the fine traditions and work style of the railway corps: carrying out administrative decrees promptly, courageous in innovation and indomitable.
There is a kind of preeminent culture in CRCC with “sincerity and innovation forever, quality and character at once” as its core values so that the enterprise has strong cohesion, execution and combat effectiveness.
Under the leadership of Chairman and Party Secretary Meng Fengchao and President Zhang Zongyan, CRCC is striding forward toward the goal of “China’s construction industry leader, the world’s most competitive large construction group.”
Makkah Metro adds strength to China’s friendship with Kingdom
Makkah Metro adds strength to China’s friendship with Kingdom
Mexico eyes trade expansion, targets Saudi market with premium rice exports
RIYADH: Mexico is preparing to expand its trade ties with Saudi Arabia by exporting high-quality rice to the Kingdom, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
They said Mexico has an export offer for three premium rice varieties that meet the highest international standards.
Saudi Arabia imports limited quantities of Mexican rice, mainly for use in Mexican cuisine and in restaurants.
The latest initiative reflects the Kingdom’s position as one of the world’s largest rice consumers, with per capita consumption averaging 45.77 kilograms annually, the highest among plant-based food products.
Around 70 percent of consumption consists of basmati rice, while total annual imports exceed 1.3 million tonnes.
According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a request from the Mexican Embassy in Riyadh conveying the interest of the Mexican state of Nayarit in exporting premium rice to the Saudi market.
The embassy said that three rice varieties are available for export, including Super Extra Whole Grain Rice, long grain, with a monthly supply of 120 tonnes; Milagro Super Extra Rice, polished broad grain, with a capacity of 30 tonnes per month; and Morelos rice, a premium-grade variety.
Saudi Arabia has previously taken steps to encourage private-sector imports of Cambodian rice in a move aimed at diversifying supply sources alongside imports from India, Pakistan, the US, and Egypt.
Strong demand for favored rice varieties in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, combined with challenges such as rising shipping costs and climate-related disruptions, has occasionally led to price fluctuations. These factors have prompted the Kingdom to broaden its supplier base to ensure the availability of this commodity and maintain price stability.
The government recently decided to increase Pakistani rice imports to account for 20 percent of total needs, reinforcing supply stability and food security.
Forecasts suggest that per capita rice consumption in Saudi Arabia could rise to around 50 kg annually in the coming years, up from the current 45.77 kg, underscoring rice’s central role in the Kingdom’s food industry and traditional cuisine.
