A regional center for Chinese factories is expected to be developed in the kingdom, the Saudi energy minister says
Energy cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia is set to be strengthened as the two nations plan to secure supply chains in the sector, according to Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
His statement came during a visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of a Chinese-Arab summit that kicks off in Riyadh on December 9. The Chinese delegation is expected to sign over 20 tentative agreements worth 110 billion riyal ($29 billion) with Saudi Arabia covering energy, security and investments.
“Saudi Arabia and China endeavor to enhance cooperation in the energy sector supply chains, by establishing a regional center for Chinese factories in the kingdom by taking advantage of the kingdom’s distinguished location among the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe,” the minister said in a statement issued to the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.
He added that Saudi Arabia would remain a reliable partner for China in the energy sector as well as in ensuring global oil market stability. The minister highlighted that the countries are deepening cooperation and joint investments, including those in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and integrated refining and petrochemical complexes in both countries.
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According to Chinese customs data, Saudi Arabia is China’s top oil supplier in the first ten months of 2022, making up 18% of China’s total crude oil purchases, with imports totaling 73.54 million tons, or 1.77 million barrels per day.
China is the kingdom’s largest trading partner, with mutual trade worth $87.3 billion in 2021. Chinese exports to Saudi Arabia reportedly reached $30.3 billion, while China’s imports from the kingdom amounted $57 billion.
https://www.rt.com/business/567874-china-saudi-arabia-energy-center/
The US House Oversight Committee has published roughly 20,000 pages of documents from the sex offender’s estate
US Democrats have released an email in which convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein claimed that President Donald Trump was aware of women procured for sex trafficking.
The email is part of some 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate published by the US House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. The documents include correspondence between Epstein and his close associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and related offenses.
In a 2011 email, Epstein wrote to Maxwell that a victim, whose name was redacted, “spent hours at my house with him,” referring to Trump. In a 2019 email to journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein said Trump “knew about the girls as he asked (Ghislaine) to stop.”
The documents show Epstein referenced Trump multiple times, calling him “borderline insane,” a “maniac,” and “f**king ...
US President Donald Trump has called on Israel’s president to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a move widely seen as political meddling in favor of an embattled ally, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel’s presidential office released a statement on Wednesday, confirming that Trump sent a letter to President Isaac Herzog urging him to dismiss Netanyahu’s legal case.
“I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump praised Netanyahu’s aggressive policies towards Iran as commendable, framing them as a justification for dismissing the corruption charges.
“While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including......more below
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Dozens of Israeli settlers have launched a wide-scale attack on industrial and agricultural facilities in the northeastern sector of the West Bank, sparking major fires and injuring several Palestinians amid a surge of settler violence in the occupied territory.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, reported that settlers set fire to multiple vehicles, including four trucks belonging to a dairy factory in al-Lada’in industrial zone near the town of Beit Lid east of Tulkarm, and caused damage to the facility itself.
Settlers also destroyed nearby farmland, metal sheds, and tents used by a small Bedouin community living in the area.
Videos posted online show smoke engulfing the area, with Palestinian women heard shouting in the background, and men carrying extinguishers and water buckets scrambling to put out the fires.
Footage shows torched trucks, tents, and metal sheds, and smashed car windows......more below
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