Saudi Arabia and China sign executive program to strengthen cultural collaboration
Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — The Ministry of Culture and the China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center signed on Sunday an executive program aimed at further strengthening collaboration between Saudi Arabia and China in the cultural field.
The executive program was signed by Deputy Minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs Dr. Maha Abdullah Alsenan, and Vice President of Beijing International Studies University and Member of the Joint Committee of the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Cheng Wei in a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah.
The executive program, taking place in parallel with the 2025 Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year, reinforces joint efforts in cultural areas. Under the program, the two sides will jointly carry out research projects to enhance the quality of cultural research submitted and collaborate to identify and compile cultural content related to each country held in national archives. In addition, the Ministry of Culture will collaborate with the Chinese side to hold joint conferences and support mutual visits and exchanges between cultural researchers from both countries to discuss common cultural issues.
The program also includes support for research exchange operations, facilitating visits by Saudi researchers to Chinese universities and research centers, as well as by Chinese researchers to Saudi universities and research centers. It provides both sides with specialists in cultural fields, offers support in the research fellowship program, and provides consultative support.
This executive program comes within the context of the Ministry of Culture's commitment to promoting international cultural exchange as one of the objectives of the National Culture Strategy under the Saudi Vision 2030. This is also an extension of the activities of the 2025 Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year, which aims to consolidate the close relations between Saudi Arabia and China in various development fields, particularly in the cultural field, which has witnessed significant growth and development in recent years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
41 minutes ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia advances 14 places to 13th rank in global IPR Enforcement Index
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has advanced 14 places in the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement Index, ranking 13th globally. The Kingdom's ranking was 27th in 2024, according to the 2025 World Competitiveness Yearbook. The yearbook is issued by the World Competitiveness Center under the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). This year's report is one of the main competitiveness reports monitored by the National Competitiveness Center in coordination with relevant government agencies. Saudi Arabia achieved a significant leap in the 13th edition of the "World Intellectual Property Rights Index 2025" report, issued by the American Chamber of Commerce, recording a 17.55 percent increase in the overall score, making it one of the highest-ranked countries among the 55 global economies included in the report. This reflects its commitment to strengthening the intellectual property environment and enabling innovation within the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030. The progress announced by Saudi Arabia stems from strengthening the enforcement of intellectual property rights domestically and internationally, and enhancing its efficiency at the institutional and judicial levels. Pioneering national initiatives, such as the Respect Council, the Permanent Enforcement Committee, and the Intellectual Property Respect Officer, have effective models for consolidating governance and enhancing integration among relevant entities. The establishment of a public prosecution office specializing in intellectual property cases has contributed to enhancing the efficiency of the litigation system and expediting judicial procedures. Among the most prominent steps supporting this progress are the implementation of comprehensive awareness campaigns addressing aspects of field and digital enforcement, in addition to enhancing transparency and communication through periodic meetings with rights holders, and expanding the scope of coordination with various government agencies and the private sector. The World Competitiveness Yearbook is an international reference for comparing the competitiveness of economies around the world. It includes more than 300 sub-indicators and measures countries' performance across four main pillars: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure.
Saudi Gazette
2 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Syrian official: Coordination with Saudi Arabia was instrumental in foiling smuggling of huge cache of narcotics
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Within the framework of Saudi-Syrian intelligence and security cooperation, the Syrian Anti-Narcotics Department is coordinating closely with the Saudi authorities to curb drug smuggling, according to Anwar Abdul-Hay, an official in the Syrian Anti-Narcotics Department, said that the Saudi-Syrian coordination has been instrumental in foiling the smuggling of hundreds of thousands of tons of contraband and narcotics. The report noted that the Saudi Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, provided its counterpart agency in Syria with security information related to the activities of criminal networks involved in drug smuggling. This information led to the Syrian Ministry of Interior's thwarting of an attempt to smuggle more than 200,000 amphetamine pills recently. Anwar Abdul-Hay emphasized the need for coordination with Saudi Arabia. "We are coordinating as if we were part of one security agency," he said while highlighting the existing high level of communication with Riyadh. Abdul-Hay also pointed out the exchange of expertise with Saudi Arabia in the field of drug control, emphasizing that his country coordinates with all neighboring countries to exchange information. He also explained that smuggling networks in Syria had been operating under the patronage of the former regime. Saudi Arabia and Syria are making ongoing efforts to crack down on drug dealers and traffickers. These efforts have resulted in foiling attempts to smuggle hundreds of thousands of narcotics over the past months. With the aim of developing the security system in Syria, the Saudi Ministry of Interior hosted a security delegation from Syria last April to learn about the experience of Saudi security agencies and benefit from their advanced expertise in security fields. Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif also met his Syrian counterpart Anas Khattab in Jeddah on June 2 to discuss prospects for cooperation in security fields, including combating terrorism, organized crime, and border guards. They discussed ways to strengthen bilateral security cooperation as well as enhancing coordination in combating drugs, and exchanging information and expertise.
Saudi Gazette
2 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
PIF assets soar to $1.15 trillion in 2024
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on Monday that its total assets surged to SR4.231 trillion ($1.15 trillion) in 2024, marking an 18% increase from SR3.664 trillion ($976 billion) the previous year. The figures, published through the London Stock Exchange as part of global disclosure requirements, reflect the fund's robust financial position and ongoing progress toward its strategic objectives. PIF posted a net profit of SR26 billion ($6.9 billion) in 2024 despite global economic challenges such as inflation and high interest rates. Asset impairment losses remained below 2% of total holdings, driven by shifts in operational plans and rising cost estimates. Total revenues jumped by 25% to SR413 billion ($110.1 billion), up from SR331 billion ($88.3 billion) in 2023. This was largely due to strong performance by key portfolio companies including Savvy Games Group, Ma'aden, STC, the National Commercial Bank, AviLease, and Gulf International Bank. The fund also benefited from Aramco dividends and the operational maturity of several major projects. Liquidity remained stable at SR316 billion ($84.3 billion), while debt increased slightly to SR570 billion ($152 billion) as PIF continued to diversify funding sources through global debt markets. The fund issued $2 billion in USD-denominated sukuk and £650 million in its first GBP bond issuance, in addition to refinancing a $15 billion revolving credit facility. The fund's debt ratio remained steady at 13% of total assets. PIF made significant strides in tourism and entertainment. Red Sea Global opened several resorts including St. Regis Red Sea, Nujuma, and Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Ad Diriyah saw new heritage and cultural projects, while the launch of 'Adira' marked a milestone in developing and operating Saudi hotel brands. Cruise Saudi launched its inaugural Aroya Cruise voyages, and Riyadh Air continued preparations for its commercial debut in 2025, signing global partnerships with GE, IBM, Sabre, and others to link the Kingdom to 100 destinations worldwide. In infrastructure, PIF partnered with stc Group to merge telecom tower assets, creating the region's largest tower company. It also launched 'SARK' to build smart residential compounds for workers, addressing growing demand for modern housing solutions. To boost the Saudi financial market, PIF-backed Saudi Tadawul Group launched the 'TASI 50' index, enhancing market transparency and appeal. It also partnered with BlackRock to launch a new multi-asset investment platform. On the technology front, PIF launched 'Alat,' a company focused on advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, robotics, and smart power systems. Its AI subsidiary Sky continued its growth with smart sports solutions, while a strategic partnership with Google Cloud was signed to establish a global AI hub in Dammam. PIF also founded 'Neo Space Group' to lead in satellite and geospatial data, adopted an AI-powered valuation platform, and unveiled a proprietary large language model for private market analysis. Portfolio companies reported robust financial performance. AviLease grew its net profits by 382% to SR228 million ($60.8 million) and revenues by over 350% to SR2.1 billion ($560 million), expanding its fleet to 189 aircraft. In real estate, ROSHN launched thousands of residential units in Makkah, Jeddah, and Dhahran. Meanwhile, Alat invested SR401 million ($107 million) in an AI-driven robotics manufacturing facility in partnership with SoftBank.
