Latest news with #ChinaHarbourEngineeringCompany
Trade Arabia
11-02-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
China Harbour's factory starts operations for Saudi housing project
China Harbour Engineering Company has announced that it has begun operations at the modular building factory for the Sedra housing project being developed by Roshn, a PIF company, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Spanning 200,000 sqm, the factory will supply prefabricated components for Sedra project's fully modular villas, while laying the industrial foundation for future prefabricated construction initiatives in Saudi Arabia, the CHEC said in a statement. The facility is equipped with an independently developed production management system and advanced robotics, enabling a fully digitalised workflow covering design, production, and storage, it stated. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Iain McBride, the Head of Commercial at Roshn, praised the factory's remarkable speed of completion, commending its design, construction quality, and safety standards. "We look forward to deepening our collaboration with China Harbour in alignment with Vision 2030, the subsequent phases of the Sedra project, and expansion plans, working together to create a new chapter of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia," he said.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China protests over Panama's withdrawal from Belt and Road Initiative
China has summoned the Panamanian ambassador to complain about the country's decision to pull out of the Belt and Road Initiative. Assistant foreign minister Zhao Zhiyuan said on Friday that Beijing "deeply" regretted the decision, according to the foreign ministry. The meeting came a day after Panama confirmed its decision to withdraw from the massive infrastructure and investment project amid mounting pressure from the United States over its ties with Beijing. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said he had given the required 90-day notice of withdrawal, asking: "What are the great things that this Belt and Road Initiative has brought to the country?" The decision came just days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Mulino and expressed concern about China's influence over the Panama Canal. He warned that the US would take "measures necessary" if it did not take immediate steps to end what Washington saw as China's influence and control over the canal. Zhao told ambassador Miguel Humberto Lecaro Barcenas that Beijing hoped that the Panamanian side "will stay away from external interference and make the right decision based on the overall situation of bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples". Zhao added: "China resolutely opposes the arbitrary actions of the US to undermine China-Panama relations and tarnish and disrupt cooperation in jointly building the [Belt and Road Initiative] through pressure and threats. China-Panama relations are not aimed at any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party." The only direct mainland Chinese involvement in the canal is a tender for a bridge won by state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company. However, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports won the right to operate two ports at the canal's Atlantic and Pacific exits in 2021. US President Donald Trump's wish to regain control of the Panama Canal is an idea he has repeatedly expressed since winning re-election in November, and one he argued for in his inauguration speech. Rubio has posted on social media that the US must remain "vigilant in protecting" the canal and "cannot and will not" allow China's growing control. Panama was the first Latin American country to join the Belt and Road Initiative in November 2017, but it has deep and long-standing economic ties with the US, and it is one of the few economies in the world that uses the American dollar as its main currency. More than 70 per cent of ships passing through the Panama Canal are estimated to have either come from or were headed to a US harbour. In his meeting with Lecaro, Zhao said the Belt and Road Initiative had brought tangible benefits to Panama and its people. He said: "Reversing course on the [initiative] and disregarding the expectations of both nations is not in line with Panama's fundamental interests." China's foreign ministry has previously said it firmly opposes US efforts to "discredit and undermine" cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative through "pressure and coercion" and hopes Panama will "make the right decision". Some observers have suggested that as Washington seeks to safeguard its position as a global power and preserve the dominance of the US dollar, it may be targeting "weak links", such as Panama. In December, Trump threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on members of Brics, a group of emerging economies, if they moved to create a currency to rival the US dollar. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Panama formally exits China's Belt and Road Initiative as US claims 'victory' in decision
Panama has officially informed Beijing of its decision to withdraw from China's massive infrastructure and investment project, the Belt and Road Initiative, the country's leader announced on Thursday. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said he had instructed diplomats at the Central American country's embassy in Beijing to submit the required 90-day notice of withdrawal from the memorandum of understanding signed in 2017. "I do not know what was the intention of those who signed this agreement with China. What has it brought to Panama all these years? What are the great things that this Belt and Road Initiative has brought to the country?" Mulino said at a press conference. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "So, no [we will not participate]," he added. "This is a decision I have made." Mulino also addressed concerns about Chinese investment in the Panama Canal, the strategic waterway whose management and operations have drawn scrutiny from US President Donald Trump and his new administration. Apart from a tender for a canal bridge, won in 2018 by the state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company, Beijing is not directly involved in the venture. However, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports in 2021 won the right to operate two ports at the canal's Atlantic and Pacific exits. Mulino assured US officials that the country was conducting a comprehensive audit of Hutchison's activities and would act if the results revealed any wrongdoing. He ruled out a unilateral cancellation of the concession. "I am the president of a country that respects the law, I am a lawyer. I cannot and do not have any power other than arbitrary to cancel anyone's contract or concession in this country," he stated. "If there are violations of the concession conditions or if they cause imminent economic harm to the country, we will act accordingly. But the audit is still ongoing and I will await the controller's findings." The decision to withdraw from the belt and road scheme came days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama City. Rubio met with Mulino on Tuesday and reiterated Trump's concern about Chinese involvement in the Panama Canal. Rubio said Washington "cannot and will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area". The top US diplomat called Panama's exit from the belt and road strategy a "victory" and "an example of President Trump's leadership to protect our national security". Panama was the first Latin American country to join the infrastructure initiative shortly after severing ties with Taiwan in 2017 and recognising Beijing as sovereign over all Chinese territory. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons. A cargo ship waits at Balboa port before crossing the Panama Canal in Panama City on Tuesday. Photo: AFP alt=A cargo ship waits at Balboa port before crossing the Panama Canal in Panama City on Tuesday. Photo: AFP> Following Rubio's visit, the Chinese ambassador to Panama, Xu Xueyuan, wrote an opinion piece in the local newspaper La Estrella in which she defended Sino-Panamanian ties. "China has never brought fear to Panama, but rather equality, respect and mutual benefit," Xu wrote, referring to infrastructure projects and the opening of Chinese markets for Panamanian agricultural products. "If the United States wants to create a 'golden era' for the Americas, it must first respect other countries and ask the peoples of Latin America what kind of era they desire," Xu added. Also on Thursday, China's ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, called Panama's decision to withdraw from the belt and road plan "regrettable". Fu described the China-centred network an economic platform aimed at fostering cooperation among developing countries rather than advancing any political agenda. "The smear campaign that is launched by the US and some of the other Western countries on the Belt and Road Initiative is totally groundless," said Fu. "We will continue with our efforts in the hope that the Global South can work better." The ambassador further rejected US claims about Beijing's involvement in the Panama Canal, calling accusations against his country "totally false and groundless." He insisted Beijing had not taken part in the canal's management or operations and recognised the waterway as a permanent, neutral international passage. Additional reporting by Mark Magnier in New York This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US senators examine China's influence over Panama Canal
US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway. The hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee attempted to examine President Donald Trump's claims that China has gained undue control over the canal, which the US transferred to Panama in 1999 under terms of a 1977 treaty. Trump has contended that Panama's authorisation of increased Chinese commercial activity violates the canal's neutrality agreement. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "We gave it [the canal] to Panama, not China, and we're taking it back," Trump declared in his inauguration address, alleging treaty breaches to support a potential intervention. But China's direct involvement remains a matter of debate. In 2018, a Chinese state-owned enterprise - China Harbour Engineering Company - secured a US$1.4 billion contract to construct the canal's fourth bridge. US lawmakers have raised concerns about Hutchison Port Holdings, a Hong Kong-based private company operating the Balboa and Cristobal ports at the canal's Atlantic and Pacific entrances. The firm received a 25-year operating extension in 2021. Hutchison is not involved in managing the canal itself. But Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who is the committee's chair, said that the company's mere presence in ports near the Atlantic and Pacific access routes could constitute a violation of the 1977 treaty's neutrality clause. Cruz said that Article Five of the treaty "limits any foreign control", and speculated that as the Communist Party advanced "its global economic contest" against Washington, it might develop a "militaristic interest in the canal". Eugene Kontorovich, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, testified that while determining a treaty violation "is a mixed question of law and fact", either party can decide if terms have been breached. "It was clear that the treaty was understood as giving both sides separately the right to resort to use armed force to enforce [its] provisions". Unlike typical international agreements requiring third-party arbitration, Kontorovich said, the Panama Canal treaty grants both parties independent authority to assess violations of its neutrality. Thus, under Article Five, "we can decide that the neutrality regime is being threatened and then act with whatever is necessary to maintain the neutral channel unilaterally," Kontorovich said, suggesting possible military measures. Whether the operations of a Hong Kong company would constitute a violation of the principle of neutrality, he acknowledged, "is a mixed question of law". "[If the] Chinese government was involved in procuring these contracts, [although it] strongly provides sort of additional support for the notion that these companies are serving some kind of governmental interest, it wouldn't be a violation," he said. Louis Sola, chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, told the committee that "American companies should play a leading role in enhancing the canal's infrastructure by supporting US firms". But asked by Senator Andy Kim, Democrat of New Jersey, about potential blockades by Hutchison Ports or the Chinese government, Sola said he had no evidence of interference. Instead, he noted that the treaty transferred "not just the canal, but all the land and water around it", including port facilities. Thus, Sola contended, Hutchison's port operations at both canal entrances theoretically enabled the company to "block traffic" if desired. Kim rejected calls for US intervention, saying that aggressive rhetoric could undermine the Panama Canal Authority's independence. Senator Andy Kim, Democrat of New Jersey, said that aggressive US rhetoric about the canal could harm bilateral relations with Panama and help China's standing in Central America. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Senator Andy Kim, Democrat of New Jersey, said that aggressive US rhetoric about the canal could harm bilateral relations with Panama and help China's standing in Central America. Photo: EPA-EFE> Kim challenged the Republican stance, arguing that their suggestions of treaty violations and military intervention could damage US-Panama relations and wind up boosting Chinese influence in Central America. "We try to have nuance and precision with words that we use," Kim said. "Otherwise, it very much looks like some of what we talk about is going to be perceived as undermining the Panama Canal Authority." Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the committee's senior Democrat, said she was "deeply concerned" about China's growing sway over critical infrastructure in Latin America and called for senators to travel to Panama to verify Trump's claims. She also argued that any Chinese influence needed to be countered by modernising free trade agreements and an "aggressive strategy" of infrastructure investment. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
South China Morning Post
28-01-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US senators examine China's influence over Panama Canal
US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway. The hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee attempted to examine President Donald Trump's claims that China has gained undue control over the canal, which the US transferred to Panama in 1999 under terms of a 1977 treaty. Trump has contended that Panama's authorisation of increased Chinese commercial activity violates the canal's neutrality agreement. 'We gave it [the canal] to Panama, not China, and we're taking it back,' Trump declared in his inauguration address, alleging treaty breaches to support a potential intervention. 04:23 Trump wants the Panama Canal: empty talk or real threat for Hong Kong? Trump wants the Panama Canal: empty talk or real threat for Hong Kong? But China's direct involvement remains a matter of debate. In 2018, a Chinese state-owned enterprise – China Harbour Engineering Company – secured a US$1.4 billion contract to construct the canal's fourth bridge.
