Since his appointment as Crown Prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has become the architect of transformative change in Saudi Arabia through his Vision 2030 strategy.

MBS has invested hundreds of billions in sports, tourism, arts, real estate, and other non-oil sectors to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues.

Projects like NEOM, a proposed mega-city the size of Belgium on the Red Sea coast, exemplify MBS’s goal to create futuristic, sustainable urban centers; The Line, a 1,640-foot-tall linear city concept, was scaled back from 106 miles to 1.5 miles but remains an audacious state-building effort.

Other NEOM initiatives include Oxagon, a high-tech port city, and Treyam, a luxury resort with a nearly half-kilometer-long rooftop pool, all aiming to attract global investment and tourism.

Saudi Arabia aims to open its first NEOM hotel and cultural attraction in 2024 as part of this ongoing transformation.

Under MBS, the influence of Saudi Arabia’s conservative Wahhabi religious establishment has been curbed, notably by restricting the powers of the religious police.

There have been significant social reforms, especially regarding women's rights: women have been allowed to attend sports events since 2018 and increasing numbers are participating in public life.

Women's workforce participation has nearly doubled in five years, rising from 18% to 32%, and more Saudi women are launching their own businesses, exemplifying the new empowerment fostered by Vision 2030.

Entrepreneur Sara Murad, who recently launched her own fragrance line, credits Vision 2030 for supporting her ambition and empowering women to contribute globally.

These changes reflect broader efforts to promote cultural and economic modernization, embodying MBS's ambition to position Saudi youth and women at the forefront of national progress.

The government has also launched the National Strategy for Industry to attract over SR 1.3 trillion (about $350 billion) in additional investment, aiming to boost the export of advanced technology products sixfold and create tens of thousands of high-quality jobs.

Even as flagship projects like The Line experience delays or scaling back, MBS argues these adjustments will ultimately serve the economy’s long-term interests.

MBS’s vision is to close the gap with the developed world, showcase a new Saudi Arabia, and transform the kingdom’s global image, emphasizing openness, innovation, and inclusion.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MBS) has led a series of ambitious social and economic reforms since his appointment in 2017.

He introduced Vision 2030, a comprehensive plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil dependency and modernize the Kingdom.

MBS has actively promoted investment in technology, sciences, and space, as evidenced by the scheduled first Saudi crewed flight to orbit in the second quarter of 2023 with Rayna Barnawi and Ali al-Karni, planned for 12 days.

He has envisioned large-scale projects such as NEOM, a $1.5 trillion city powered entirely by solar energy, which aims to showcase futuristic urban living and innovation.

Despite financial challenges, the Kingdom, aided by investors from the UAE and China, continues to push NEOM, intending to generate economic opportunities for young Saudis.

Saudi Arabia under MBS announced its candidacy to host Expo 2030 under the theme “Era of Change,” signaling its intention to play a larger global role.

The Kingdom is bidding for the 2030 World Cup in collaboration with Egypt and Greece, committing resources to build new stadiums in all three countries.

Saudi-Greek cooperation has intensified, making Greece a key partner in Europe for Saudi Arabia, and both countries now share certain regional strategic interests.

Saudi Arabia’s mega-projects and international ambitions are not without regional tensions, including its historic rivalry with Qatar, its burgeoning alliance with Egypt, and shifting relations with Turkey.

Realizing the need for economic diversification, the state has promoted the growth of various online platforms.

The country’s privatization of football clubs, announced in 2023, fits within the broader policy of boosting sports and entertainment as new sectors of economic growth.

MBS has stressed that even a one percent increase in GDP via such projects justifies continued reform and investment.

Significantly, the Crown Prince has curtailed the influence of the religious establishment, notably by restricting the powers of the religious police.

He has championed improved women’s rights, granting women the right to drive and greater participation in public life.

The reforms have weakened Wahhabi clerical influence but risk domestic unrest, especially amidst high youth unemployment.

Through Vision 2030, MBS seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a leading economic and cultural hub while retaining its Islamic identity.

Since his appointment as Crown Prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has launched a series of transformative reforms under the Vision 2030 plan, described as one of the most significant events in Saudi Arabia’s 300-year history.

Vision 2030 aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy, which was previously 96-97% dependent on oil, especially after the sharp drop in oil prices in 2015 caused economic challenges.

By 2022, Saudi Arabia’s GDP exceeded $1 trillion, with non-oil sector growth reaching 8.2% and non-oil GDP representing more than 50% of the total by 2023.

The reforms have been facilitated by a new generation of young leaders and a desire to strengthen relations with multiple world powers, moving beyond sole reliance on the West and the United States.

Saudi Arabia has played a pivotal role in international issues, seeking to build a more robust global system and promote inclusive development through expanded cooperation with regional and global partners.

The Kingdom is accelerating its digital economy at a rate three times faster than the global average, with research and development as key pillars for integrating emerging technologies into business.

The transformation includes comprehensive changes to Saudi society, as Vision 2030 aims to build a vibrant society with improved quality of life.

The health transformation program under Vision 2030 seeks to establish Saudi Arabia as a leader in healthcare by restructuring the health sector into an effective, integrated system.

One of the hallmark social changes has been the curtailing of the influence of the Wahhabi religious establishment, most notably by restricting the powers of the religious police (the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice).

Women's rights have been improved, including lifting the ban on women driving in 2018, though the move was accompanied by the arrest of women’s rights defenders just before the ban was lifted.

Prince Mohammed has also made his mark on foreign policy, exemplified by brokering the Yemeni truce initiated in April, signaling attempts to resolve regional conflicts.

Observers note that while MBS is the central force behind these changes, many reforms reflected issues already under public discussion in Saudi Arabia.

Vision 2030 is ongoing and described by MBS as a march, not a final destination, with more progress to be made in the years ahead.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) launched the Vision 2030 reform plan after his appointment in 2017, aiming to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil.

Saudi Aramco, producing more than one of every eight global barrels of oil, is central to these reforms aimed at modernizing the kingdom’s energy sector.

Vision 2030 has introduced regional diplomatic recalibrations, seeking stability in relations with Israel and Iraq, with the pace determined by continued regional conflicts.

Despite fluctuations in oil prices and changes in US foreign policy, Saudi Arabia continues to prioritize its economic interests in global energy.

The reform agenda includes ambitious megaprojects like "The Line," a 170 km city designed to foster innovation and sustainability in face of environmental challenges.

The country is racing to embrace renewable energy, recognizing uncertainty in the future of oil wealth due to global shifts toward sustainable resources.

Under MBS, Saudi Arabia has taken bold steps to open its society, including curtailing the influence of the conservative Wahhabi religious establishment by restricting the religious police.

Major social reforms have extended women’s rights, illustrated by the appointment of female flight crews and the upcoming historic mission of sending a female astronaut to space.

As part of MBS's efforts to rebrand Saudi Arabia’s image, high-profile investments have brought global sporting icons like Messi and Ronaldo to the country.

The sovereign wealth fund, though sometimes criticized as a private investment tool, reflects MBS’s ambition to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil.

Saudi Arabia’s global alliances are evolving, as seen through Xi Jinping’s visit and the strengthening of ties with China and other Arab countries under the Belt and Road Initiative, signaling a shift from traditional American influence.

Economic reforms include incentives for foreign investors, with tax regulations and an improved business environment contributing to Saudi Arabia’s jump from 92nd to 62nd on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report.

Government mandates favor Saudi citizen employment, while foreign companies benefit from simple tax procedures and regulations, including zakat.

Major cities like Riyadh and Jeddah support these economic transformations as business and trade hubs.

Despite ongoing challenges, Vision 2030’s reforms under MBS are reshaping Saudi Arabia’s legal, social, and economic frameworks, demonstrating a commitment to modernization.

Since his appointment as Crown Prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has become the architect of transformative change in Saudi Arabia through his Vision 2030 strategy.

Title:

Content: JEDDAH — Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman launched on Tuesday the National Strategy for Industry to realize the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.

The strategy focuses on 12 sub-sectors to diversify the Kingdom’s industrial economy while identifying more than 800 investment opportunities worth SR1 trillion.

“Through this strategy and in partnership with the private sector, Saudi Arabia will become a leading industrial power that contributes to securing global supply chains, and exporting high-tech products to the world,” the Crown Prince, who is also chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, said while unveiling the new strategy.

“We have all the possibilities to reach a competitive and sustainable industrial economy, thanks to the ambitious young talents; distinguished geographical location; rich natural resources, and leading national industrial companies,” he said.

The strategy aims to accomplish an industrial economy that attracts investments, which contributes to achieving economic diversification, and developing the domestic product and non-oil exports, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.

The National Strategy for Industry focuses on 12 sub-sectors to diversify the Kingdom’s industrial economy while identifying more than 800 investment opportunities worth SR1 trillion to constitute a new chapter of sustainable growth for the sector in order to achieve ambitious economic returns for the Kingdom by 2030. These returns include doubling the industrial domestic product by three times and doubling the value of industrial exports to reach SR557 billion.

The strategy is also working to bring the total value of additional investments in the sector to SR1.3 trillion, and to increase exports of advanced technology products by about six times, in addition to creating tens of thousands of quality jobs of high value.

The industrial sector is one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030, and it receives great attention from wise leadership. The National Industrial Development and Logistics Program was launched and an independent ministry was established to take care of the sector. In addition to this, a number of programs were introduced and several entities were established.

All these have resulted in doubling the number of industrial establishments, which did not exceed 7,206 factories within 42 years. Their number jumped by more than 50 percent after the launch of Vision 2030, reaching 10,640 industrial facilities in 2022. The strategy will drive growth in the sector, bringing the number of factories to about 36,000 factories by 2035.

Through the strategy, Saudi Arabia aspires to empower the private sector, as well as to increase the flexibility and competitiveness of the industrial sector, which guarantees continuity of access to important commodities for the welfare of citizens and achieve global leadership in a group of selected commodities, by investing in promising new technologies.

To achieve these ambitious national goals, a governance model for the industrial sector was developed through the formation of the Supreme Committee for Industry, headed by the Crown Prince, to supervise the development of the sector, in addition to the formation of the Industrial Council with the participation of the private sector in order to ensure the participation of industrial investors in decision-making and policy development.

The Kingdom’s industrial sector is based on solid industrial foundations and successes built over 50 years, as it contributed to adding more than SR340 billion to the gross domestic product, and provided many quality jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities in various industrial fields.

The Kingdom also enjoys the presence of leading national industrial companies, which have contributed to placing the Saudi industry in the ranks of advanced industries regionally and globally, as the Kingdom is today the fourth largest manufacturer of petrochemical products in the world, while its industrial outputs contribute to supplying global supply and manufacturing chains, which are involved in the production of many of industries.

The launch of the strategy is in line with global trends in the sector, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Kingdom’s objectives and the competitive advantages represented by its geographical location, an abundance of natural resources and energy sources, human capabilities, purchasing power, and stable monetary policies, it was pointed out.

© Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

MBS has invested hundreds of billions in sports, tourism, arts, real estate, and other non-oil sectors to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues.

Title:

Content: Johnny Depp's bizarre bromance with MBS: Pair have a 'genuine connection' and Pirates of the Caribbean star has 'become a believer that Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a cultural revolution'

  • The Pirates of the Caribbean star has struck up a friendship with Saudi Arabia 's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the kingdom's ruling family invested millions in his latest film project
  • MBS has spent billions under his Vision 2030 plan to make Saudi Arabia a cultural and economic powerhouse
  • Depp insists that Saudi Arabia, a country plagued by accusations of human rights abuses, is experiencing a 'cultural revolution'

Johnny Depp has struck up a bizarre friendship with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after the kingdom's ruling family invested millions into the actor's latest film.

MBS has spent billions under his Vision 2030 plan to make Saudi Arabia, plagued by accusations of human rights abuses, a cultural and economic powerhouse by investing in the arts, sports and forging personal connections with stars.

Depp, 60, first met MBS, 38, after filming Jeanne du Barry, which Saudi Arabia had invested millions, in the summer of 2022.

'They made a genuine connection. It's a shock to many of the people who know [Depp], but it's what happened' a friend of Depp's told Vanity Fair

Both men have faced a reckoning in the public perceptions of their carefully crafted images in recent years.

Depp was found to have domestically abused his ex-wife Amber Heard when he lost a libel case in the UK in 2020.

Johnny Depp, 60, first met MBS, 38, after filming Jeanne du Barry, which Saudi Arabia had invested millions, in the summer of 2022 (pictured at the Red Sea International Festival in 2023)

Johnny Depp has struck up a bizarre friendship with Saudi Arabia 's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured)

Two years later a series of further disturbing details, including accusations of sexual abuse, were made public after he successfully sued Heard for libel two years later.

MBS, once a favorite among Western leaders who considered him a great reformer, irrevocably harmed his image by sanctioning the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Depp insists that Saudi Arabi is experiencing a 'cultural revolution.'

'Though I admit I was somewhat naïve at first to what was transpiring in the region, I've since experienced firsthand the cultural revolution that is happening there' Depp told Vanity Fair.

The country has 'emerging young storytellers radiating fresh ideas and works of art to a blossoming film infrastructure and a newfound curiosity for innovation' her explained.

Adding: 'I've had the opportunity to meet people from various parts of the region who have been most welcoming in sharing with me their culture, their traditions, and their stories.'

Indeed, MBS has spent hundreds of billions on sports, tourism, the arts and other ventures such as real estate to move the country away from its dependence on oil money and become a diversified economic powerhouse.

MBS' Vision 2030 plan has made the entertainment industry, including film production, as key focus as it increases tourism and cultural perception of the kingdom but also encourages the country's 30 million residents to do their leisure spending domestically.

Depp met with Prince Badr (left), the kingdom's culture minister in July 2022 while filming his French period film

Depp told Vanity Fair that Saudi Arabi is experiencing a 'cultural revolution'

Depp was found to have domestically abused his ex-wife Amber Heard when he lost a libel case in the UK in 2020

The Kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has invested millions in establishing the LIV Golf tournament, attracting players such as Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia.

The PIF also provided the bulk of the funds for a Saudi takeover of Newcastle United football club in 2021, a controversial deal that became a hot button issue for the UK government.

'We're making up for lost time and making sure that our country realizes its potential,' a Saudi government adviser told Vanity Fair.

Depp previously associated with another Saudi prince, Abdulaziz bin Fahd, but a member of his entourage was convicted of raping a woman in 2012 at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, where the prince had rented out a block of rooms.

Prince Abdulaziz stopped appearing in public in 2017, having been detained by MBS along with 300 of Saudi Arabia’s richest men on suspicion of corruption.

The prince  eventually reemerged, smiling for a photo with MBS, but he has kept a very low profile ever since.

The sudden disappearance reportedly made Depp wary of an initial meeting with any further Saudi royals.

However, he was talked around and met with Prince Badr, the kingdom's culture minister in July 2022.

A few months later he flew to Jeddah for the 2022 Red Sea Film Festival and during the trip was introduced to the Crown Prince.

Depp visited again in early 2023 and was invited to MBS’s royal camp in the mountains.

The actor also flew on multiple occasions by helicopter to MBS’s yacht, one of the largest in the world.

The two men are now close friends, according to Vanity Fair, and friends of Depp told the publication he values the friendship and doesn’t want anything in return.

However, Depp's team are in talks with the Saudi government are in talks over a seven figure deal for him to attend events and shoot films in the country, the outlet reported.

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How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Projects like NEOM, a proposed mega-city the size of Belgium on the Red Sea coast, exemplify MBS’s goal to create futuristic, sustainable urban centers; The Line, a 1,640-foot-tall linear city concept, was scaled back from 106 miles to 1.5 miles but remains an audacious state-building effort.

Title:

Content: Yesterday's news that Saudi Arabia's megacity project 'The Line' has been scaled back is the latest sign that the kingdom's audacious state-building enterprise is not going according to plan.

The Line is one of 15 projects announced as part of Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious NEOM undertaking, which is part of the Crown Prince's overall 'Vision 2030' scheme to reshape his oil-dependant country's economy and image.

The linear metropolis was meant to be home to around 1.5 million residents by the end of the decade, with plans to ultimately increase its full capacity to nine million.

The 1,640-foot-tall structure was also meant to stretch across 106 miles of desert, but - according to people familiar to the matter, cited by Bloomberg - it will now only be one-and-a-half miles long (a 98 percent reduction in its planned length) and be home to just 300,000 people by 2030.

The report that it has been scaled back is just the latest sign that Bin Salman's megacity is stalling before even getting off the ground.

Analysts have long expressed scepticism over the project which has touted technology that is yet to be invented. One former worker once described The Line as being 'untethered to reality'.

Yesterday's news that Saudi Arabia 's megacity project 'The Line' has been scaled back was the latest sign that the kingdom's audacious NEOM state-building enterprise is not going according to plan. Pictured: The Line is seen in concept imagery released by Saudi Arabia

As part of the country's audacious and futuristic NEOM project, the linear metropolis was meant to be home to around 1.5 million residents by the end of the decade, with plans to ultimately increase its full capacity to nine million people. However, analysts have long expressed their scepticism - saying the plan features technology yet to even be invented

Pictured: Concept imagery shows an imagined sky garden looking out over the Saudi desert

A concept images shows an artist's rendering of what the interior of The Line would look like, between its two vast 106-mile long landscrapers

When it was first announced, The Line - slated to cost $1.5 trillion (£1.2tn) - was pitched as a new vision for urban design - with computer generated promotional material making it look like something out of a science fiction film.

NEOM as a whole remains one of the largest and most difficult construction projects in history, with the region set to cover a swathe of desert the size of Belgium.

Mohammed bin Salman - or MBS as he is known - sees NEOM as Saudi Arabia's showpiece to transform the country's economy and demonstrate futuristic technology that could transform the way people live their lives around the globe.

However, citing sources close to the project in its report about Saudi Arabia downscaling The Line, Bloomberg noted that the country has not yet approved NEOM's budget for 2024, despite now being well into April.

The publication also said that NEOM's vast expenditure is beginning to concern officials - suggesting Saudi Arabia's immense wealth isn't quite so endless after all.

What's more, some projects outlined in the Vision 2030 are already expected to be delayed past the end-of-the-decade deadline.

Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan said in December that longer is needed to build 'factories' and 'sufficient human resources' for the project.

'The delay or rather the extension of some projects will serve the economy,' he said.

The feasibility of NEOM and The Line has also long been called into question.

Architect and urban planner Etienne Bou-Abdo said of concept images last year: 'the 3D images presented are not classical 3D architecture images', and the designers of the project 'have rather called upon video game designers'.

He stated that the plan includes 'a lot of technology that we don't have today'.

Concept images of The Line released by the kingdom in 2022 showed a vast, structure slicing through the desert near crystal blue ocean waters

The 1,640-foot-tall structure was meant to stretch across 106 miles of desert, but - according to people familiar to the matter, cited by Bloomberg - it will now only be one-and-a-half miles long, a 98 percent reduction in its planned length

A map shows where The Line was set to be built, and how long it would have been. Saudi officials said it would be built in stages, and would eventually cover a 106-mile stretch of desert along the coast of the Red Sea in the western Tabuk province

In a promotional video released by the Kingdom, it was suggested that nine million people could live in The Line (pictured in concept art) at full capacity

The Line's vast construction was set to extend from the heart of another planned Red Sea megacity, a plank of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's bid to diversify the Gulf state's oil-dependent economy - to the ocean

A number of The Line's key features, particularly those related to energy and transport, are based on technologies that do not even exist even in prototype form.

Since its inception, MBS's vision for the project has changed frequently - with workers finding themselves in the difficult position of having to manage the expectations of a man who is known to have imprisoned his own family.

'The concept has morphed so much from its early conception that it's sometimes hard to determine its direction: scaling down, scaling up, or making an aggressive turn sideways,' said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, following the presentation in 2022.

There has also been frequent staff turnover, with some former workers describing the vision for NEOM as being 'untethered from reality'.

According to a Bloomberg report in 2022, who interviewed 25 employees and saw 2,700 pages of internal documents, the project has been plagued by setbacks.

Attempts to relocate the indigenous population who have lived at the NEOM site for generations, were reported as being 'turbulent' - with one incident even descending into a gun battle.

Several key staff have quit, blaming a toxic work environment and a culture of massive overspending without seeing results.

They also described how the project had become a favourite for contractors - including architects and Hollywood production designers - all of whom are taking a cut of Saudi Arabia's oil riches.

'I was not alone in realising that it was spurious at best,' Andy Wirth, an American hospitality executive who worked on Neom, told Bloomberg for its 2022 report.

'The complete absence of being tethered to reality, objectively, is what was demonstrated there,' he added at the time.

In its report, the American publication wrote: 'The chaotic trajectory of Neom so far suggests that MBS's urban dream may never be delivered.'

Overall, 15 sites have been announced as part of the NEOM megacity.

With names like Xaynor, Zardun and Siranna - NEOM's destinations are often described in manicured promotional material as 'sanctuaries' or 'oases'.

Computer generated concept images and videos show gleaming structures rising out of the desert, with model-like actors looking on in wonder, or taking part in various activities such as jet skiing or mountain biking.

Salman is hoping to create a desert metropolis known as NEOM. Pictured: NEOM's 'Oxagon' - a futuristic port city - is seen in concept imagery

The Line was the first announced in 2017 - and officially in January 2021 - with MBS delivering a presentation - capturing the attention of both city planners, architects and the general public around the world.

The announcement of 'Oxagon' - a futuristic port city - followed in November.

Concept images of The Line released by the kingdom in 2022 showed a vast structure slicing through the desert near crystal blue ocean waters.

The megacity was to feature two parallel skyscrapers extending across a swathe of desert and mountain terrain, with mirrored facades on the outside.

Saudi officials said it would be built in stages, and would eventually cover a 106-mile stretch of desert along the coast in the western Tabuk province - with its Western tip pointing out over the Red Sea towards Egypt.

In its original design, if built in the UK, The Line would have been able to stretch between London to Birmingham, or even from London into France.

In US-terms, it was longer than the distance between New York and Philadelphia.

However, unlike city sprawls we are accustomed to today, the vast metropolis would have been contained in the two mirrored structures - each rising 500 meters above sea level, taller than the Empire State building.

At just 200 yards wide, The Line was intended to be Saudi Arabia's answer to unchecked and wasteful urban sprawl, layering homes, schools and parks on top of each other in what planners term 'Zero Gravity Urbanism'.

Promotional material says residents will have 'all daily needs' reachable within a five-minute walk, while also having access to other perks like outdoor skiing facilities and 'a high-speed rail with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes'.

For a train to travel 106 miles in 20 minutes, it would need to be able to travel at 318 miles per hour - 16 miles per hour faster than the Beijing to Shanghai speed line, one of the fastest railway lines in the world.

In his presentation, Prince Mohammed sketched out an even more ambitious vision, describing a car-free utopia that would become the planet's most liveable city.

The site would be powered by 100 percent renewable energy and feature 'a year-round temperate micro-climate with natural ventilation', the promotional video said - something that would be a necessity considering temperatures in Saudi Arabia can range from 27 degrees to 43 degrees.

Other flourishes were proposed too, like flying taxis and robot maids, prompting architects and economists to question its feasibility further.

Officials had earlier said The Line's overall population would top one million, but Prince Mohammed said the number would actually hit 1.2million by 2030 (other reports have suggested 1.5 million) before climbing even further by 2045.

In a promotional video released by the Kingdom, it was suggested that nine million people could live in The Line at full capacity.

The eye-popping total is part of a hoped-for nationwide population boom that Prince Mohammed said would be necessary to make Saudi Arabia - the world's biggest crude exporter - an economic powerhouse.

The goal for 2030 is to have 50 million people - half Saudis and half foreigners - living in the kingdom, up from roughly 34 million today.

By 2040 the target is 100 million people, he said in 2022.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announces 'The Line' to be built at NEOM in northwestern Saudi Arabia, January 10, 2021

'That's the main purpose of building NEOM, to raise the capacity of Saudi Arabia, get more citizens and more people in Saudi Arabia. And since we are doing it from nothing, why should we copy normal cities?' Prince Mohammed said at the time.

However, not everyone was convinced at the time.

Writing for the New York Times in 2021, US journalist and author Robert Worth wrote scathingly about the project.

'To watch [MBS's] promotional video is to be immersed in a distinctively Saudi form of arrogance, blending religious triumphalism and royal grandiosity,' he said.

Analysts have also noted that plans for NEOM have often changed course over the years, fuelling doubts about whether The Line would ever become reality.

It was once touted as a regional 'Silicon Valley', a biotech and digital hub spread over 10,000 square miles.

But it was also a vehicle for reimagining urban life on a footprint of just 34 square kilometres, and addressing what Prince Mohammed describes as 'liveability and environmental crises'.

With it being scaled back, it is now unclear whether The Line will still feature its twin skyscrapers seen in the concept images, or if the whole project will have to be reconsidered altogether.

Reports of the scale-back to The Line project coincided with more bad news for Saudi Arabia, after it was announced on Sunday that Saudi Aramco - the state-owned petroleum and natural gas company - saw a 24.7 percent decline in profits in 2023.

In a filing to the Saudi stock market, the oil giant said net income reached 454.7 billion Saudi riyals ($121.25 billion) in 2023 down from 604.01 billion Saudi riyals ($161.07 billion) it reported in 2022.

'The decrease mainly reflects the impact of lower crude oil prices and lower volumes sold, and weakening refining and chemicals margins,' Aramco said.

The huge trench can be seen stretching into the distance as foundations for the incredible megacity are dug out in footage from 2022

Construction workers stand on the edge of a vast trench being dug for The Line megacity

Pictured: Construction workers are seen operating excavators in drone footage captured in 2022 when The Line project began

While Saudi officials will have been left red-faced with the news that the project is being scaled back, it will certainly come as a relief to conservationists who raised the alarm over The Line's environmental impact.

Experts warned last year that the vast mirrored surface would be a 'death trap' for millions of birds migrating between Europe and Africa each year.

As Saudi Arabia touted the finished project's sustainability credentials, researchers identified the construction project itself as one of the 15 most pressing conservation issues to watch in 2024.

And experts have said in a study released in December that a combination of factors mean it poses a huge risk to birds that migrate over Saudi Arabia every year.

These include the mirrored facades, the city's orientation and the intention to have wind turbines along the top of it.

'Birds flying into tall windows is a serious problem, and this is a building that is 500m high going across Saudi Arabia, with windmills on top,' Professor William Sutherland, director of research in Cambridge University's zoology department, told The Times .

'It's also kind of like a mirror so you don't really see it,' Sutherland, who led the study, added. 'So unless they do something about it, there's a serious risk that there could be lots of damage to migratory birds.'

Nightingales, wheatears, larks, sandgrouse and turtle doves are all species of bird that use the migratory route which could be affected.

Other species known to travel that way include the Egyptian vulture and saker falcon, both of which are endangered globally, The Times reported.

Treyam - another NEOM project announced last month - is an 'elevated haven' - a luxury resort, stretching over a desert lagoon, with a nearly half a kilometre long swimming pool on its roof

Looking like something from the future, the complex will stretch across a desert lagoon

NEOM is roughly the size of Belgium and situated on the west coast of Saudi Arabia

The publication said the area The Line is set to occupy is already a bottleneck for an estimated 2.1million birds that travel between Europe and Africa every autumn.

It noted that every year, 988 million birds are killed in collisions with buildings in the US alone, with the risk found to be higher in areas with glass or mirrored buildings.

The news of the scale-back comes just weeks after Saudi Arabia announced its latest wildly ambitious NEOM project: The world's longest sky pool built on the roof of a 250-room resort.

Treyam - announced in March with more computer generated concept images - is being billed as an 'elevated haven' - a luxury complex, stretching over a desert lagoon, with a nearly half-kilometre-long swimming pool on its roof.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Other NEOM initiatives include Oxagon, a high-tech port city, and Treyam, a luxury resort with a nearly half-kilometer-long rooftop pool, all aiming to attract global investment and tourism.

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

Diversify the economy from oil
modernize infrastructure

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To attract foreign investment

Saudi Arabia aims to open its first NEOM hotel and cultural attraction in 2024 as part of this ongoing transformation.

Title:

Content: (Bloomberg) -- Top officials from Saudi Arabia’s mega projects gathered in Riyadh to share progress updates and seek partners to help deliver a key pillar of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to transform the economy.

Executives from The Line, New Murabba and Diriyah Company — complex developments ranging from a futuristic mega city on the Red Sea to an urban development housing a cube-shaped skyscraper set to be the tallest in the Saudi capital — discussed challenges with supply chains, costs and finding skilled workers as they underscored the urgent need for experienced partners to assist in completing projects.

Many touted construction achievements, some that had not yet been shared widely with the public, but made clear they would have to overcome major obstacles if they are to meet deadlines set under the crown prince’s Vision 2030 agenda.

“I think our biggest problem with these projects is time,” said Oussama Kabbani, group chief development offer for Roshn Real Estate Co., one of Saudi Arabia’s largest residential developers that’s backed by the sovereign wealth fund. “Make no mistake we made commitments to His Royal Highness that we will be a showcase of the 2030 Vision. The challenge now is how much we can achieve from our promise.”

Representatives from developments worth $880 billion gathered at Monday’s event, which was hosted by the Middle East business intelligence source known as MEED. They presented to potential investors and contractors at a time when the kingdom is struggling to lure foreign direct investment and has delayed or accelerated some projects based on funding needs and other considerations.

Read More: Neom Hosts Show-and-Tell for Bankers as It Scours for More Cash

The so-called giga projects are playing a pivotal role in Prince Mohammed’s efforts to turn the kingdom into a hub for everything from entertainment to tourism and manufacturing, while easing a dependence on revenue from crude oil.

‘Close The Gap’

More contractors and consultants are seen as the key to ensuring the work goes ahead smoothly, according to comments made repeatedly at the event. There was also a heavy focus on ironing out supply-chain challenges as rising costs for building materials eat into project budgets.

“We are seeing companies coming to Saudi Arabia almost every day – consultants, contractors – from along the supply chain,” said Mohamed Saad, President of Diriyah Company. “I’m hoping that the market will supply what we need and close the gap as much as possible.”

Diriyah has handed out about $14 billion in contracts so far and aims to award as much as $9.3 billion more this year. It also plans to open its first hotel and cultural asset in 2024, Saad said in an interview.

In further signs of plans being adjusted, Saad said Diriyah Square — a key part of the historical Diriyah development — was recently re-launched after conducting more studies on design and customer needs. It’s expected to open in 2027, versus an earlier target for 2024.

Executives from Neom, Red Sea Global Co. and Qiddiya Investment Company also presented to British business delegates at a UK-Saudi summit on Tuesday aimed at deepening investment and trade between the countries.

Qiddiya, an entertainment hub being built in the capital city of Riyadh, said it plans to open its first two theme parks — Six Flags Qiddiya City and Aquarabia — in 2025.

Read More: ‘Dragon Ball’ Goes to the Desert With Saudi Arabian Theme Park

(Updates with Qiddiya comments)

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

Diversify the economy from oil
modernize infrastructure

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Under MBS, the influence of Saudi Arabia’s conservative Wahhabi religious establishment has been curbed, notably by restricting the powers of the religious police.

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

There have been significant social reforms, especially regarding women's rights: women have been allowed to attend sports events since 2018 and increasing numbers are participating in public life.

Title:

Content: Saudi National Day: Kingdom's women and young people shaping the future

UN official Jood Alharthi tells The National that young people in the kingdom are becoming 'change-makers'

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Saudi women are taking charge of representing the kingdom across different sectors and positions regionally and globally, some of its most well-known women told The National.

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, champions women empowerment, which is a key component of reforms in the kingdom.

Jood Al Harthi, the first woman to be appointed as political affairs officer at the Executive Office of the Secretary General of the UN in New York, spoke to The National ahead of Saudi National Day on Saturday.

She said “today more than ever”, the kingdom is making an impact in the space of international co-operation, development, multilateralism and diplomacy.

She said the King Salman Relief Centre had “unarguably expanded” its global reach and scale, with its top projects the previous year focusing on emergency relief co-ordination, food security and early recovery.

“It’s worthy to note that more and more young Saudis have rushed to become volunteers and change-makers for such causes,” she said.

The empowerment of women and youth engagement are top priorities within the kingdom's Vision 2030 initiative.

It is through such initiatives that the kingdom can create a platform for the next generation of Saudi women to “thrive”, said Princess Reema bint Bandar, the kingdom's ambassador to the US.

“We can contribute to break down the barriers in the biases that hold women back and we can foster a world where the next generation of women can thrive,” she said.

“And when we do that, we’ll not only create a more equal and inclusive society but also a more prosperous one. We need more women in leadership roles paving the way.”

Princess Reema, who was appointed ambassador to the US by the Saudi Crown Prince in 2019, said the kingdom needs more female business leaders to reach its potential.

“We need more women in middle management positions continuing the work,” she said.

“We need more women business owners, more mentorship programmes focused on female success, and more people investing in women-led start-ups.”

In 2023, Saudi Arabia sent its first Saudi female astronaut, Rayyanah Barnawi, to the International Space Station.

And Saudi women are rising to top positions across the world, from astrophysics, politics, technology and other industries.

The kingdom has hosted high-level summits over the past year, including the Arab League Summit.

It has allowed the kingdom to further empower its women to take leading roles in its international vision, Ms Alharthi said.

“We’ve seen an increase of women ambassadors, youth representatives and recruitment,” she said.

“As the kingdom marks its National Day, we must recall the huge contributions that make headlines, but most importantly, let us also celebrate the unheard successes and the many transformative plans and dreams in progress.”

She said Saudi Arabia continues to support the voices of the Muslim community globally, and speak against cases of Islamophobia and hate speech to boost peaceful coexistence.

Updated: September 23, 2023, 3:00 AM

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

Women's workforce participation has nearly doubled in five years, rising from 18% to 32%, and more Saudi women are launching their own businesses, exemplifying the new empowerment fostered by Vision 2030.

Title:

Content: Follow Us:
Friday, December 10, 2021

Progress for saudi women is uneven, despite cultural changes and more jobs

Over the last five years, the percentage of women working outside the home has almost doubled, according to official statistics, to 32% from nearly 18%.

By: New York Times | Riyadh |
December 10, 2021 10:45:24 am
A group of women and children picnic at Wadi Hanifa park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 29, 2021. (Iman Al-Dabbagh/The New York Times)

Written by Kate Kelly

At the cramped shop where Kholoud Ahmed sells the traditional Muslim women’s gowns known as abayas, the rainbow of colors is a revelation.

In the past, women in Riyadh typically dressed in the same black abaya no matter where they were going. Now, observed Ahmed, 21, there’s a differently colored or styled abaya for every occasion: weddings, meeting friends at a cafe, visiting parents.

“Colored abayas used to be a strange thing for us in Riyadh, something unusual,” said Ahmed, the store’s clerk. “Within a year it has significantly changed. It has become normal nowadays.”

Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader more than four years ago, he has promised new opportunities for Saudi women as part of a broad modernization plan called Vision 2030.

The plan, which is advertised across Riyadh on posters and flags, is meant to wean the kingdom away from its historical reliance on oil and shift it toward new industries, including technology, pharmaceuticals and tourism.

Women shop for abayas, or traditional Muslim womenÕs gowns, at a store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28, 2021. (Iman Al-Dabbagh/The New York Times)

But to create more job opportunities for Saudis and draw international investors and corporations to the desert monarchy, Crown Prince Mohammed is also chipping away at the conservative culture that has kept many women close to home for years and scared away many foreigners.

Over the last five years, the percentage of women working outside the home has almost doubled, according to official statistics, to 32% from nearly 18%. Women today serve as customs officials at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, client relationship managers at banks and hostesses at restaurants.

In addition to changes in the workplace, public space is becoming less strictly segregated by sex. In coffee shops in Riyadh like Overdose (motto: “Caffeine, it’s my drug of choice”), male and female customers can now sip lattes in mixed company.

Women can attend certain sporting events at stadiums, which was forbidden until a few years ago. They are no longer required to use separate entrances from men although some establishments still use them. They can also now apply for passports, live by themselves and travel on their own.

But the progress has been uneven.

Soccer fans withÊHattan Bahebri, center, a midfielder for Al Shabab, after a match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28, 2021.ÊWomen have been able to attend sporting events in Saudi Arabia since 2018. (Iman Al-Dabbagh/The New York Times)

The guardianship system, which despite some recent reforms is still in place, means that women must rely on permission from men — often their fathers or husbands, but in some cases their sons — to enter into marriages and make key decisions.

One prominent women’s rights activist was jailed for three years after pushing publicly for some of the very changes Crown Prince Mohammed wanted to make — including allowing women to drive. She has since been released and has published a research paper on the status of Saudi women.

Those fits and starts are also evident in quotidian ways. Women’s attire in Riyadh, though more relaxed than a few years ago, is still far from liberal; even women who avoid abayas wear clothes with long sleeves, high necklines and low hemlines.

They may be using money from their newly earned paychecks to shop for kitten-heeled boots and slip dresses at Zara, but such outfits are still worn only in private settings.

“It’s not like before, like you have to wear, like, hijab and everything,” said Marwa, a 19-year-old university student who was shopping at Ahmed’s shop, referring to the traditional head scarf worn by Saudi women. “Now you can have free choice, but limited. It’s not like you are showing parts of your body.”

However much things have changed, the culture remains sufficiently conservative — and cautious of angering the authorities — that Marwa, like many of the Riyadh residents interviewed for this article, declined to give her full name.

Marwa said other cultural changes, like allowing store owners to remain open during prayer time to accommodate both merchants and shoppers, created problems of their own.

Some people who are devout and would pray no matter what, she said, could be offended by the business-as-usual attitude. “It’s like you’re not respecting the prayer time,” she said. Her friend Alaa — who wore sweatpants and sneakers under her abaya and sported a wrist tattoo that said “Trust no one” — nodded.

Prayer time at a shopping mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28, 2021. Women say Saudi Arabia has advanced significantly in just the past year, with more choices regarding work, fashion and social spaces, but restrictions remain everywhere. (Iman Al-Dabbagh/The New York Times)

During the call to prayer a few minutes later, a number of male store workers nearby locked their doors and walked to the mall’s prayer room on an upper floor. On the ground floor, about 10 women, patrons who were wearing black abayas and hijabs, took rugs from a corner pile and knelt on them to pray. Other women sat quietly on benches, watching their children ride around in battery-operated toy cars.

A 52-year-old father of six, who gave only a nickname, Abu Abdullah, said he saw the benefits of more flexible prayer times and new opportunities for women. “During traveling, we don’t pray,” he said. “Even women, they don’t pray for seven days,” referring to the fact that women are forbidden to pray when they are menstruating.

Several of Abu Abdullah’s five daughters were standing nearby, eating buttered corn and french fries. One of them, Nout al-Qahtani, 13, said she was thrilled about the changes for women in Saudi Arabia. “I want to work,” she said. “I really want to be a doctor.”

Her father noted that not every dream job would be appropriate.

“Some jobs don’t fit for some women,” he said, citing roles in plumbing and construction work as examples. “It’s better to put her in the right place,” he added.

Five miles north of the mall, a local soccer club, Al Shabab, was playing an out-of-town team at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. It was a mild evening, and the crowd was animated when the home team scored. On the men’s side of the stadium, hundreds of men jumped to their feet, chanting and clapping for the players.

Across the stadium on what’s known as the family side, where women and children were directed to sit, Najiba, a nurse at the hospital complex King Fahd Medical City, was watching with two colleagues. Although women have been able to go to sports events in Saudi since 2018, it was only her second time at a match.

FILE Ñ Crown Prince Mohammed is depicted at left on a billboard advertising the Vision 2030 modernization plan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 28, 2018. (Tasneem Alsultan/The New York Times)

Najiba, 34, and her friends said that they were seeing far more Saudi women working at the hospital in recent years, and that the idea of women in medical careers had become more palatable to families who might previously have considered a mixed-gender working environment problematic.

“Now the family accepts if they have a daughter or a wife working in health care,” said Najiba, who was a nurse in a neonatal intensive care unit for years before taking on an administrative role.

Below the nurses, a few children were playing in the front row. One child, who had been running around and yelling, was scolded by a female security guard.

Several female spectators said they never missed a match. One, a 29-year-old manager at the Saudi British Bank attending with her brother, spoke highly of Riyadh’s new entertainment options and the growing economic opportunities for women. “We’re so excited,” she said.

A little after 9:30 p.m., the match ended in a 3-0 victory for Al Shabab.

As the crowd dispersed, one of its star players, the midfielder Hattan Bahebri, was signing autographs for dozens of fans through the fence that separated the stands from the field.

At one point, he held his hands in a heart shape in front of him. A clutch of men encircled the player, some with children hoisted on their shoulders. But one woman, her pink-tinted sunglasses atop her hijab, walked to the front of the crowd, raised her phone and got the shot.

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How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Entrepreneur Sara Murad, who recently launched her own fragrance line, credits Vision 2030 for supporting her ambition and empowering women to contribute globally.

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From Scratch: How Saudi MBC TV Presenter Sara Murad Launched Her Own Perfume Brand

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Sara Murad has been a fixture in Middle East media since 2013, by first starting out as a presenter on the Rotana TV channel, and now she’s on the number 1 morning show in the Middle East called, “Sabah Alkhair Ya Arab,” on MBC. Now, the Saudi television host can add perfumer to her resume. Murad has just launched her own namesake fragrance brand, By Sara Murad this month. The inaugural scent “Black Oud” captures her professional journey that’s meant to exude power and confidence.

“It has taken a lot of courage and strength for me to get to where I am, and with the launch of Black Oud, I have tried to capture a sense of power and self-confidence within a bottle,” says Murad. “I aim to encourage and inspire everyone to follow their passion and strive for success by sharing with them a bold scent that holds a very close place in my heart with a touch of nostalgia, combining notes of familiar scents throughout my journey.”

When people think of Saudi Arabia, picturesque desert scenery, Palm Date trees, and the mistreatment of women come to mind. For the latter, things are changing. Saudi Arabia is a much different place than it was post 1979, when harsh social and religious reforms during the Sahwa era, or Islamic Awakening took place. Under these reforms, women could not drive, female singers were not allowed to sing on TV, and music and films were drastically lessened under strong religious reforms.

The country is vastly opening up with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud’s Vision 2030, and women, especially women in the capital of Riyadh are masters of their own destinies. “As a Saudi woman, with the 2030 vision and the increasing goal of empowering women within the region, I feel supported and empowered to launch and grow my business- and I want each person who uses our fragrance to feel the same way,” says Murad. Many women like her are entrepreneurs, launching their own ventures in fashion, trade, entertainment, and many other sectors.

If you haven’t been to the Levant or the Arab Gulf, then let me fill you in, fragrances are serious a thing. Just as a wine connoisseur knows how to pair the right wines with a meal, or can identify which grapes make up a certain wine, so the people in the Middle East know how to layer scents that start with lathering with the right soaps in the shower, and moves onto layering scents as one gets dressed. “Layering is such a fun art. I feel that perfumes, just like clothes, can be paired together to create different olfactory ‘ensembles’ to suit each occasion and event. And again, just like clothes – I wouldn’t wear the same outfit for a day at work and then to a gala dinner – I consider fragrance as an essential part of getting dressed and switch up my scent based on the setting,” Murad states. Perfume brands know the power that certain scents have, as they can bring up certain feelings. Fragrances are personal and can remind us of certain people and awaken emotions.

“Growing up in the Middle East, fragrance has always played a huge part in our culture – not only when it comes to perfumes but also through home fragrances and bukhoor (scented wood infused with perfume oil that is then burnt over charcoal as incense for home),” she says. “Growing up in an Arab household, I was exposed to fragrances since I was a child. The art of perfumery is very much embedded within Arab culture, with dedicated scents and fragrances for each occasion, event, and moment. Ouds and oils from the very foundation of our journey and is something that has been passed on through generations. The women and even men of our family wouldn’t leave the house without spritzing their favorite perfume or oud and that is a characteristic that has been passed on to young people. Living in a city like Dubai has given me the opportunity to expand my horizons and understand the significance of perfume and scent across diverse cultures and backgrounds. It has been a very insightful experience as each person has a different story to tell and I get to learn so much from everyone I meet.”

Oud is one such note in fragrances that is unique and familiar in the Middle East region. Found in Agar trees, which are native to Southeast Asia, India, and Bangladesh, it is strong and distinct. Walking behind women in Dubai, Saudi, or anywhere in the Gulf, you catch a whiff of Oud notes constantly. “I enjoyed collecting perfumes from different brands and experimenting with layering different notes to create something new and unique,” says Murad of her childhood. With the launch of By Sara Murad and specifically our debut fragrance, Black Oud, I wanted to bring my vision to life by creating a sophisticated blend between the East and the West, combining notes from the Middle East with the expertise of some of the world’s most renowned perfumers from France.”

She’s a fan of musk notes that include oud, leather, and amber. “We’re already working on By Sara Murad’s second fragrance launch and this will have a prominent leather base note. While my preferences have been heavily influenced by my surroundings when it comes to By Sara Murad, I wouldn’t limit our offering exclusively to match my preference. The vision of the brand is to create something for everyone. But, I do feel that the world of fragrance needs to be more inclusive and I wanted to blur the line between ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ scents with my fragrances.”

Launching

The pandemic really affected the international perfume market, which in 2022 was valued at $50.6 million, according to Grand View Research. The industry is expected to grow at a 5.9% compound annual growth rate from 2023-2030. Personal grooming and a demand for luxury and exotic fragrances has contributed to this. So, when Murad launched her brand, she knew it was going to be “a whole new ball game.” The brand and this new fragrance took two years to create from concept, to finalizing the ingredients, to oil samples, design, production, and marketing.

“I am so amazed by the amount of detail that goes into curating one single scent. We have gone through rounds and rounds of trials and prototypes to finally reveal Black Oud. I have seen a lot of people launching perfumes but after experiencing this myself, I can say that there are two ways to go about this: an easy way and a hard way, but it is the hard way that promises a fine and hard quality product. Like everything in life, you have to put in the hard work and effort to achieve results. I am launching a brand, not just a perfume and I feel that one of my key takeaways from this experience is to carefully choose the team you work with. I was lucky to be surrounded by a driven, positive and supportive team that helped us smoothly overcome any setbacks and challenges that came our way,” she says.

Murad’s strategy is to create a luxury brand with long-lasting perfume that has the potential to grow internationally. “We sought out the best of the best in the industry to create a formula that interprets the quintessentially Middle Eastern scent of oud, with a modern twist, creating a scent for everyone. Black Oud aims to take something so close to our culture and reinterpret it for a global audience,” she says. To do this, she chose to work with French perfumeries. Their know-how and her knowledge of the Middle East is the bridging of East and West that she wants her brand to be known for.

But just because the Middle East market loves muskier notes and all things oud, doesn’t mean a Western market will. “We carried out our research across varied sample groups that included people from different cultures, backgrounds, and genders. The overall feedback we received is that the scent does connect with each individual: if not culturally, it is the element of empowerment that they relate to,” she says.

Balancing a TV career and launching her own fragrance is no easy feat, but Sara Murad has taken on the challenge, learning and growing with her French team. For a brand that’s about professional journey, it has given her the chance not only to understand her own journey, but also other people’s and what it means to launch something from scratch.

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How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

These changes reflect broader efforts to promote cultural and economic modernization, embodying MBS's ambition to position Saudi youth and women at the forefront of national progress.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The government has also launched the National Strategy for Industry to attract over SR 1.3 trillion (about $350 billion) in additional investment, aiming to boost the export of advanced technology products sixfold and create tens of thousands of high-quality jobs.

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

To drive development in high-tech
To drive development in manufacturing

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To attract foreign investment

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Even as flagship projects like The Line experience delays or scaling back, MBS argues these adjustments will ultimately serve the economy’s long-term interests.

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

MBS’s vision is to close the gap with the developed world, showcase a new Saudi Arabia, and transform the kingdom’s global image, emphasizing openness, innovation, and inclusion.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MBS) has led a series of ambitious social and economic reforms since his appointment in 2017.

Title:

Content: In June, Saudi Arabia, along with two other Gulf states and Egypt, began putting pressure on Qatar on the grounds that Doha was providing financial support for international terrorism.
Saudi Arabia ’ s statements against Qatar could be taken as a joke, given that Riyadh itself has long financed the spread of fundamentalist Salafi Islam, which is often associated with extremism, writes Ayaan Hirsi Ali in an article for The New York Times.
Ivan Shilov IA REGNUM
The Saudis
On the one hand, Saudi Arabia ’ s actions against Qatar can be called a classic example of “whose cow is moaning ”.
On the other hand, Riyadh could use the smokescreen of the diplomatic crisis around Qatar to divert attention from the growing tensions within its own kingdom.
See also: Asia Times: US and China do not face the danger of the “Thucydides trap ”
The newly appointed crown prince of the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, has promised to modernize the country ’ s economy, which includes measures to diversify the national economy to reduce its dependence on oil prices, expand trade, increase employment and eliminate some restrictions in public life.
However, within Saudi Arabia there are two factors that could put all plans of the crown prince in jeopardy.
First, the crown prince has a rival who can challenge him.
This is the former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Al Saud, whom in November 2017 Mohammed bin Salman placed under house arrest and froze all his bank accounts.
The current crown prince has taken a very bold step, even by the standards of the royal dynasty.
However, Mohammed bin Nayef, who previously headed the secret intelligence of Saudi Arabia, can be a very dangerous enemy.
Ivan Shilov IA REGNUM
Saudi Arabia
Second, Mohammed bin Salman ’ s grand strategic reform plan, known as Vision 2030, poses a direct threat to the prestige and authority of the Wahhabi clergy in Saudi Arabia.
The clergy have influence, and they have a motive to try to thwart the Crown Prince ’ s plans.
If private enterprise begins to strengthen its position through reforms, the resources and influence of the clergy will decrease, therefore, the opportunities for retaining control over the kingdom will be reduced.
For centuries, the royal family relied on the support of the Wahhabi clergy to ensure the religious legitimacy of the ruling dynasty.
If modernization threatens to destroy the authority of the clergy, how long will it remain submissive to the crown prince?
Earlier, the crown prince made it clear that the influence of the clergy could become an obstacle to economic growth and reduce the dependence of the Saudi economy on oil.
In case of resistance of the clergy, the Crown Prince promised to take appropriate measures.
Most likely, the clergy will begin to openly resist the Westernization of the country with the same zeal with which Saudi Arabia seeks to attract foreign investors.
Since 1973, the Saudi government and its semi-official “charities ” have spent billions of dollars spreading Wahhabi ideology abroad.
The continuation of such a policy would be detrimental to the efforts of the international community to combat radicalization.
Saudi clerics have a powerful social network that provides a direct link to their supporters across the country.
The clergy can use this platform to undermine the plans of the Crown Prince and the position of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
In this regard, there is a risk of fomenting unrest in a country with a high youth unemployment rate.
In an effort to stifle dissent, in September 2017, Saudi Arabia detained several influential clerics who opposed Saudi Arabia ’ s position on Qatar.
In November, the fight continued, only under the guise of anti-corruption purges, in which more than 200 officials, large businessmen and members of the royal family were detained.
See also: “On whom should the US make the main bet in the Middle East? ”
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia ’ s Wahhabi clerics have extensive ties to Islamist organizations around the world.
Qatar can use these ties to discredit the crown prince in the eyes of international public opinion.
As a response to diverting attention from Saudi Arabia, Riyadh may intensify the conflict with Qatar.
The stakes are very high.
If the crown prince manages to carry out modernization, it will strike a blow to radical Islamism.
If modernization plans fail, the country could roll back several decades, continuing to export extremism abroad.
From the point of view of most Middle Eastern political players, any compromise is seen as a disgrace to the country.
Instead of accepting an ultimatum from Saudi Arabia, such as closing the news agency and severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar has only strengthened its alliance with Iran and Turkey.
Back in June 2017, the diplomatic crisis around Qatar seemed like a minor event in the Middle East, in 2018 it could trigger a big conflict.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

He introduced Vision 2030, a comprehensive plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil dependency and modernize the Kingdom.

Title:

Content: Ribbon
October 29 20: 47
All news
Federal News Agency /
Riyadh, October 29.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has announced his bid to host Expo 2030 under the slogan “Era of Change ”.
“We live in an era of change and face an unprecedented need for collective action by all of humanity.
It is clear that the whole world, as a collective, needs to work together to foresee the future and solve the problems with their minds, using the opportunities arising from this, ” he said in a letter to the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE).
It is noteworthy that the timing of the exhibition coincides with the culmination of the Saudi program “Vision 2030 ”, which implies a deep restructuring of the economic and social structure of the kingdom with a focus on environmentally friendly technologies and the rejection of the oil-dependent model of the economy.
According to the crown prince, Expo 2030 could be “an exceptional opportunity to share with the world the lessons of this unprecedented transformation. ”
The letter was sent to Paris to the General Secretary (BIE) Dmitry Kerkentes.
The application will be supported by the Royal Commission of the City of Riyadh under the personal supervision of its Executive Director Fahdom Al Rashid.
“This vision reflects the Kingdom ’ s ambition for the future; a vision aimed at harnessing the boundless energy of youth to create a sustainable future for the benefit of the next generations, where all citizens advance their dreams, exceed their hopes and go beyond their own ambitions, ” continued Mohammed bin Salman.
The international exhibition itself will be held from October 1, 2030 to April 1, 2031.
To date, applications for its conduct — in addition to Saudi Arabia — filed Russia, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine.
The Kingdom has been participating in the Expo since 1958.
In 2008, the Saudi pavilion received a silver design award and a gold design award in 2010.
The current international exhibition "Expo 2020" is held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates - UAE) and will last until April 1, 2022.
Due to the pandemic, the organizers were forced to postpone its beginning to 2021, but the name was left for marketing reasons.
The slogan remained intact: “Connecting minds, creating the future. ”
The large-scale exhibition complex was built from scratch on an area of 4.3 square kilometers in eight years, which cost the UAE budget $6.8 billion.
International exhibitions have been held since 1851 with the participation of most recognized countries of the world.
This year, 192 countries are represented.
In order to attract investments, participating countries exhibit their advanced achievements in the field of science, culture, industry, technology, etc.
Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka, Japan, under the motto “Creating a society of the future for our lives ” from April 13 to October 13, 2025.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

MBS has actively promoted investment in technology, sciences, and space, as evidenced by the scheduled first Saudi crewed flight to orbit in the second quarter of 2023 with Rayna Barnawi and Ali al-Karni, planned for 12 days.

Title:

Content: The great Islamic scientists of the past were interested in various fields of science, including planets, stars, comets and space in general.
Medieval caliphs, like the wise Harun al-Rashid, highly valued astronomers, kept them at court.
And now, a thousand years after the end of the “golden age of Islam ”, Saudi Arabia, on whose territory there are two shrines of Islam, sends its astronauts into orbit, and does it effectively – Ryan Barnawi and Maryam Fardus, the first female astronauts in the history of the kingdom, will fly to the ISS.
Details - in the material NEWS.ru.
Infinity waits
Two flights of Saudi cosmonauts to the ISS are already planned, in each of them the team will consist of one man and one woman.
The first flight is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023, in which Rayna Barnawi will go into orbit with his partner Ali al-Karni.
Together with the Saudis will fly two American astronauts: Peggy Whitson and John Schöffner.
The entire mission is expected to take 12 days.
Since the kingdom does not yet have its own space rockets and cosmodromes, the launch will take place from the US cosmodrome on the SpaceX rocket of Elon Musk.
Given that Saudi Arabia has no experience in organizing flights, the coordination will be carried out by the American space company Axiom Space.
She also trained Saudi astronauts.
Photo by Nasa / Joel Kowsky
This initiative will expand Saudi Arabia ’ s capabilities in the field of manned space flight.
It will also contribute to the kingdom ’ s scientific research in the field of health and space technologies that serve the benefit of humanity, the Saudi Space Agency said in a statement.
Not much is known about the Saudi space conquerors themselves.
The first in the history of Saudi Arabia astronaut Ryan for the past 13 years has been engaged in genetics, biomedicine, the study of the causes of breast cancer and stem cells.
Her colleague al-Karni is closer to the space industry.
He is an experienced military pilot with more than two thousand hours of flying experience.
It is expected that in the near future the kingdom will acquaint the world with the biographies of cosmonauts in more detail, but so far many details of the project are kept secret.
On the pages of astronauts in social networks there is almost no information about them.
Photo: ssc.gov.saRyan Barnavi
Saudi Arabia has also trained two more astronauts - a woman Mariam Fardous and a man Ali al-Ghamdi.
Fardous is a scuba diving instructor who previously worked in medical organizations in various positions, such as a database specialist.
Also on her LinkedIn page it is written that she is the first Arab woman to conquer the North Pole.
Ali al-Ghamdi is a military pilot who has 11 years of flying experience and more than two thousand flight hours.
The head of the Saudi space commission has already stated that in the foreseeable future, Saudi Arabia would like to learn how to conduct launches and space research independently.
He did not name any exact dates or plans, as Muslims say, these are plans from the category of "InshaAllah" (if and when Allah wills).
Photo: ssc.gov.saAli al-Ghamdi
Why space, build a skyscraper
Meanwhile, the news that Saudi Arabia will send its citizens into space, caused a big furor in the Arab world.
The fact is that the Saudi space program (or rather, its absence) until recently was an eternal reason for jokes in the Arab world.
Like, here, despite all the petrodollars, the Saudis have not contributed anything to this area and spend money on some nonsense.
Although the search for knowledge, and therefore travel into space, is not prohibited in Islam, but even encouraged, Saudi imams, ulema, sheikhs and mullahs have always come up with excuses for why it is worth spending money not on an incomprehensible space, but on something more “pleasing ” and useful.
Islam does not forbid the exploration of the wonders of the cosmos created by Allah.
But, first, you need to compare the time, effort and money spent on this goal with the benefits that can be obtained from somewhere else — sounds one such excuse. — Moreover, humanity should live and behave Godly on Earth before going into space.
About the Saudis and space in Arab social networks from time to time you can even find a meme in which the Arab news anchor indignates that Iran, living under heavy sanctions, was able to launch into space a male macaque named Fargam, and all that was able to give the world a rich Saudi Arabia is “only a handful of monkeys like King Abdullah (the former ruler of the kingdom – NEWS.ru) ”..
However, if you dig deeper into the history of Saudi Arabia, it becomes clear that in vain many Arabs are so disrespectful of Saudi merit in space.
After all, the “homeland of monkeys ” was a space pioneer not only among Arab countries, but also the entire Islamic world.
The first Arab and Muslim to go into space was a member of the royal dynasty of the country - Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, the half-brother of the current Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In 1985, he joined the NASA mission team and spent seven days in space.
Photo: Sergey Karpukhin / TASS Sultan bin Salman Al Saud
The Saudis themselves remember and appreciate this continuity.
A new trailer for the Saudi space program, luring the future generation of the country into space, emphasizes that the fascination with space is not something new for Saudi Arabia, but something that the country has sought before.
Raise your head.
Look at the stars.
Find their coordinates.
Visit them and name them.
Let space be your new passion.
Realize your connection with him, – says in the Saudi trailer. – Stars will always be a part of you.
Your ancestors from the past have already realized this.
Now it's time for you to launch your ambitions into space.
Mecca of feminism
However, the flight into space from Saudi Arabia, many expected, given that recently between the countries of the Persian Gulf (or, as the Arabs say, the Arab Gulf) intensified the struggle for the title of the main space power of the region.
That's just to accept that together with the brave son of the Arab Ummah (community) a woman will fly into space, many Arabs of the old school still can not.
After all, until recently, many considered Saudi Arabia one of the most conservative countries on Earth, and at the same time almost the worst place to be born a woman.
Because of Islamic restrictions, simply seeing a woman somewhere on the street was already a rarity.
As a rule, they appeared in public only on special occasions, wrapped in Islamic robes, and must be accompanied by a husband, brother or father.
Not all Arabs and not all Saudis have yet accepted this abrupt transition from “manual ” wives and sisters to free women who take part in politics, drive high-speed trains between shrines, ride camels in deserts, and now fly into space.
But despite criticism from conservatives, bin Salman — chief conductor of the transformation of conservative Saudi Arabia into a country of “space feminism ” — is more confident than ever in his decisions and reforms of the“ Vision 2030 ” initiative, designed to make desert Saudi Arabia the state of the future.
Photo by neom.com
Recall, having come to power in 2017, the crown prince and the actual ruler of the kingdom decided to arrange a total “rebranding ” and a change of image for the country.
The heir to the throne realized that Saudi Arabia will not be able to live forever on oil sales.
Therefore, he began to turn the state from a closed country into a regional and world center of culture, tourism, economy and everything possible.
To do this, he builds the city of the future Neom, buys the best football players in the world like Cristiano Ronaldo, consults with the Japanese and Koreans on how best to adapt the pop culture of East Asia, develops e-sports, invests in medicine, education and tourism.
Thanks to his reforms, bearded imams, who only insisted that everything in this life is a continuous “haram ” (a sin in Islam), gradually came physicists, chemists, biologists, and now women astronauts.
Photo by Khalid Abdulfaattah / XinHua / Global Look PressCristiano Ronaldo
Given the resources of Saudi Arabia and its boundless desire to hit the world in all spheres, it is difficult to imagine what space goals the kingdom will set for itself.
So far, the Saudis are limited only by the Islamic ban on visiting Mars (it is believed that flying there is tantamount to suicide), and otherwise they have a complete “tawuid mutlaq ” (carte blanche).
Therefore, there is no doubt that the crown prince will still find something to surprise the world, if not on Earth, then among the stars and planets, which, by the way, are mentioned in the Koran.
He is the One who created the night and the day, the sun and the moon.
All of them are in their own orbit, according to the Holy Scriptures of the Muslims.

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

Through growth in science
Growth in technology

To reduce Saudi Arabia's oil dependence
To drive development in high-tech

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

He has envisioned large-scale projects such as NEOM, a $1.5 trillion city powered entirely by solar energy, which aims to showcase futuristic urban living and innovation.

Title:

Content: Favorite project of the prince was not affordable for the king of toys of kings
Jemal Bustani, author haqqin.az
Once I happened to visit one of the presentations of the "city of the future" flagship project of the program of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - Vision 2030 - futuristic megalopolis Neom.
In 3-D graphics, it was indelibly impressive, but frightening, giving rise to the idea of what it really is: the mad design of a genius ahead of his time - or a feast of ambitions, an orgy of futuristic fantasies, not supported by economic calculations?
A 170-kilometer continuous strip of skyscrapers, where one and a half million people live, no cars - only high-speed trains, a "city in the city" floating on the water, and even a ski track - this was what Neom saw in the projects of his creators, whose team was personally supervised by the Crown Prince and the de facto ruler of the Kingdom.
And “only ” for one and a half trillion dollars and 8 years.
Now the project is radically reducing, as they say, ruthlessly “cutting the sturgeon ” of the ambitions of the Saudi crown prince.
Instead of 170 kilometers - 2.4 by 2033, instead of one and a half million residents - 300 thousand, and this is in the most optimistic scenarios.
The reason is banal – the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the Kingdom, it is also the State Investment Fund refused to approve the budget of Neom for 2024.
The highest officials of the Kingdom were able to prove to King Salman that they cannot afford this project.
And instead of spending on these “excesses ”, it would be better to finance simpler projects, joint weapons plants with China, for example.
Or invest in the expansion of the fleet.
How did they manage to convince an elderly monarch to refuse his beloved son his expensive toy?
It's easy enough.
Just by telling him that because of the huge spending on the modernization of Saudi Arabia, the cash reserves of the State Investment Fund have fallen to $15 billion.
This is the lowest level since 2020.
And it is not that the Kingdom does not have money - they, of course, exist, and in considerable quantities.
But still not so large as to rampantly spend them on the construction of the “city of the future ”, no matter how beautiful it is in the projects.
The king's argument.
Mohammed bin Salman was also involved.
What made it all the easier for him to do was that he had seriously matured over the years as a statesman.
His Vision 2030 is the time of his youth, when, driving the heels of the royal guards in the fashionable Carlton Ritz into the dynastic opposition understanding who is now the master in Saudi Arabia, he decided that now he is subject to everything.
That he is now on a white camel and all his wishes will be fulfilled.
Now he is a different, sophisticated experience, learned to correlate his “want ” with the“ can ” of Saudi Arabia.
In his circle of like-minded young people like him, Mohammed bin Salman liked to repeat: “We are the ones who can decide the future of our generation.
If we don ’ t take a step forward, who else will? ”
But now he realizes that life is more complicated than it seems when you dream of it with young friends by the fire in the desert...
The Neom project also stalled because it did not have foreign investors.
Bin Salman ’ s Western business partners viewed the “city of the future ” as a blessing to the crown prince, who is mad at the glut of petrodollars.
The Chinese were wiser, reminding the crown prince of the saying “the journey of a thousand li begins with the first step. ”
That is, they told him something like this: “Your Highness, the project is very good.
But let us approach its implementation gradually.
We will create joint arms production there, we will modernize ports there, we will create infrastructure there – and invest the profits from this wherever you want. ”
Mohammed bin Salman ’ s council appreciated – and since then, the Chinese have become reliable partners of the “Young Saudis ”, that is, those who are part of the crown prince ’ s team.
Recently, Bahrain announced the creation of the Investcorp Golden Horizon fund with a capital of $1 billion.
It is backed by China ’ s sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation, CIC, and aims to invest in companies in Saudi Arabia.
As stated in the Foundation ’ s promotional prospectus, it studies “companies with high growth potential in attractive sectors, including consumer goods, healthcare, logistics and business services. ”
At the same time, the Saudi fund Investcorp pre-IPO began its work, which will attract investors to two new “brainchild ” of bin Salman – the logistics startup Trukker and the telecommunications hub NourNe.
If all goes well, with the help of the Chinese, they will be able to raise money for the “Young Saudis ” on Neom.
After all, the right word, I really want to see this “city of the future ” live.
In the embodiment of the fantasies of humanity in metal, stone and glass.
Well, how the traditional sphere of influence of the United States passes from them to Beijing...

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

To drive development in renewable energy

Despite financial challenges, the Kingdom, aided by investors from the UAE and China, continues to push NEOM, intending to generate economic opportunities for young Saudis.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia under MBS announced its candidacy to host Expo 2030 under the theme “Era of Change,” signaling its intention to play a larger global role.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The Kingdom is bidding for the 2030 World Cup in collaboration with Egypt and Greece, committing resources to build new stadiums in all three countries.

Title:

Content: Urban Hymns
Blog
The world Cup 2030 can be held in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece.
How did such a strange alliance come about?
Denise will tell you everything.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece have agreed to submit a joint bid to host the World Cup in 2030.
If the bid wins, the World Cup will be held for the first time on three continents.
In order to do this, you need to beat at least four competitors.
The set of countries that have made an application seems paradoxical at first glance.
After all, earlier joint applications were submitted by neighbors, united in most cases by history and mentality.
But what do the theocratic kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt and Greece have in common?
In fact, much more than it seems.
* * *
To begin with, it is important to understand that the participants of the application are unequal partners.
No one is hiding the fact that the leader and initiator of the campaign is Saudi Arabia.
She also promises to pay all costs, including the construction of new stadiums not only at home, but also in Egypt and Greece.
Unless, of course, the application is approved.
Of course, Saudi Arabia with its monetary power could well organize the world Cup 2030 alone, but the FIFA rule on the rotation of the continents of the world Cup made it impossible.
Eight years before the 2030 World Cup, Qatar will host the tournament, which makes a single candidate from Asia completely impassable.
But Saudi Arabia is very eager to host the tournament in 2030 – even hired consultants from the Boston Consulting Group to solve the problem.
And this is not just the whim of fabulously rich sheikhs.
According to the plan of the actual leader of the country, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the World Cup should become a bright culmination of the state strategy Vision-2030, adopted in 2016.
This strategy envisages large-scale transformations in the country ’ s economy, as well as a change in its international image.
Saudi Arabia by 2030 should turn from a kingdom closed to the outside world, living off oil wealth, into a modern secular state, attractive both for foreign investment and for tourists.
Football plays a crucial role in this strategy.
Saudi Arabia does not spare money to become a prominent player in the football market.
In 2019, they signed a contract with the Football Federation of Spain, which received 120 million euros for hosting the Super Cup in the stadiums of Saudi Arabia for three years, and in 2021 the contract was extended until 2029.
A similar agreement (although much more modest – for 20 million euros for three finals) is valid with the Italian Football Federation.
Another image move of the strategy is the purchase of Newcastle by the Saudi Arabian sovereign fund for 300 million pounds.
In July 2021, the authoritative The Athletic reported that Saudi Arabia had agreed with Italy on a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup.
At the same time, a plan B was developed, according to which one of the North African countries could become a partner of Saudi Arabia - Morocco or Egypt, or both.
The final version turned out to be a mix of the previous two: Morocco submitted its own application, and Egypt remained the North African partner of the Saudis, and Greece took the place of Italy.
Organizers will surely be tempted to use the image of the three countries that played a crucial role in the birth of human civilization and united by a passion for football – from Egyptian pharaohs through ancient Greek philosophers and playwrights to Arab scientists and inventors.
The picture can be really beautiful.
Moreover, these three countries unite not only the legendary past, but also the geopolitical present: both Egypt and Greece are the most important strategic partners and allies of Saudi Arabia, which claims to be the main force in the Middle East region and an authoritative partner for the countries of southern Europe.
Saudi Arabia is repeating the path laid by Qatar.
These countries hate each other.
The Saudi authorities will never admit this, but we can assume that the impetus for the fight for the world Cup 2030 was the successful bid of Qatar to host the world Cup 2022.
Qatar has long annoyed the Saudis.
Until the mid-1990s, the small state, located on a peninsula in the Persian Gulf and bordering Saudi Arabia by land, was a loyal satellite of the big Arab brother.
Neighbors quickly became rich thanks to the extraction of huge volumes of oil and gas, but the economy of Qatar was completely dependent on Saudi Arabia, as all exports went through its gas transportation system.
The situation changed after the 43-year-old Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani came to power in Qatar (he overthrew his father when he went on vacation abroad).
A graduate of the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst set the task of ending dependence on Saudi Arabia.
To do this, the young emir invested in the construction of LNG (liquefied natural gas) production plants.
Now it could be sold without the participation of Saudi Arabia and shipped on tankers around the world.
Bottom line: Today, Qatar is the largest seller of LNG in the world and is among the top 5 richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita.
This desire did not like Saudi Arabia, especially Qatar began a media confrontation: the money of the royal family in 1996 launched the TV channel “Al-Jazeera ”, made according to the patterns of leading Western news media and sharply criticized the policy of Saudi Arabia.
The relationship only deteriorated.
Having freed itself from Saudi dependence, Qatar has befriended Iran and Turkey, Saudi Arabia ’ s main adversaries in the region.
Behind this rapprochement were pragmatic interests - with Iran, Qatar shares the largest gas field in the Persian Gulf, and with Turkey planned to build a gas pipeline through which cheap Qatari gas transit through Syria and Turkey would go to Europe.
The implementation of this project would be a blow to the interests of Russia, the main seller of gas to Europe.
However, it was never implemented: the Syrian government, which has close ties with Moscow, blocked the placement of the pipe on its territory.
According to many experts, this refusal is one of the reasons for the large-scale war on the territory of this Middle Eastern country: the parties interested in the construction of the gas pipeline financed the armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.
But the Assad regime resisted (not without the help of Russia), and the project was abandoned.
In 2011, Qatar supported the revolution in Egypt, an ally of Saudi Arabia, as a result of which President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown, and representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), which is declared a terrorist group in Saudi Arabia, came to power.
In Qatar, the leader of this organization was received at the state level, and the movement was provided with material assistance.
After the events in Egypt, the emirs of Qatar supported other anti-government movements during the events that went down in history as the “Arab Spring ”.
All this could be the reason for the beginning of a military clash between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, however, the authorities of Qatar insured themselves by placing on its territory two large US military bases and one Turkish one.
Instead, Saudi Arabia, together with its allies (the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, where after the next coup the friends of the Saudis returned to power, Mauritania, Yemen, Libya, Maldives and Comoros) in 2017 tried to arrange a trade blockade of Qatar, where there is no own agriculture – all food was bought in Saudi Arabia.
But the plan did not work 100% – its new friends from Iran and Turkey came to the rescue of Qatar, who provided the country with food and other goods.
The confrontation with the rupture of diplomatic relations and mutual accusations lasted three years.
Saudi Arabia has even called on other countries to boycott the 2022 World Cup.
But in 2020, the countries still managed to extinguish emotions and start negotiations.
The national team of Saudi Arabia together with its fans will still come to the world Cup in Qatar.
Egypt is the main ally of Saudi Arabia, sheikhs invest tens of billions in its economy, build a new capital and resorts
If the principle of rotation of the hosts of the World Cup is strictly observed, then the tournament of 2030 should be given to Africa.
The last (and so far only) World Cup on this continent was held in South Africa in 2010.
After it, the tournament was given to all continents except Oceania, which is unlikely to shine, especially after Australia ’ s transition to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Given this, Saudi Arabia needed a partner in Africa.
The list of possible partners was wide, but in the end they chose Egypt.
And it looks legitimate.
First, Egypt has the experience of successfully organizing major international competitions.
Among the relatively recent ones are the 2019 African Cup and the 2021 World Handball Championship.
The national team of Egypt is the strongest and most titled on the continent (7 victories in the Africa Cup).
There are two giant stadiums in Egypt that are often filled with fans – the relatively new (built in 2009) 86,000th Borg El Arab in Alexandria and the old 75,000th International Stadium in Cairo.
Until 2030, stadiums will be put into operation in two completely new cities - in the capital of Egypt, Vediana, under construction, and at the superresort on the Mediterranean Sea - New Al Alamein (about them a little below).
But the basis of the alliance between Egypt and Saudi Arabia is not football, but political.
Egypt is the most loyal partner of the sheikhs in the Arab world.
The rapprochement of the two most important Arab countries occurred after Hosni Mubarak came to power in Egypt in 1981.
He ruled the country for 30 years and established a de facto dictatorial regime in Egypt – banned the activities of radical Islamist organizations, instead of holding presidential elections, he held referendums that extended his power.
Saudi Arabia has agreed with Mubarak that they will do without a struggle for leadership in the Middle East region, and will become “two equal wings of the Arab world. ”
At the same time, the Egyptian president maintained good relations with the United States, the USSR (and later with Russia), and even with Israel.
The situation changed in 2011.
A wave of protests in North Africa also swept Egypt.
On Tahrir - the main square of Cairo - came more than a million people demanding the resignation of the permanent leader of the country.
This led to the aforementioned revolution.
Hosni Mubarak was suspended, and the country was headed by the representative of the Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia) Mohammed Morsi, who won the elections.
This is bad news for Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, when in 2013 there was another coup in Egypt, and President Morsi was replaced by Minister of Defense Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, Riyadh sighed with relief.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has been the main sponsor of the Egyptian regime and the largest investor in various projects on Egyptian territory.
Among the most notable is the construction of a stand-in for the Suez Canal ($8 billion), which allowed to increase the capacity and, accordingly, the revenues of Egypt from the operation of the canal.
Another mega-project is the construction of the new cities of Vediana (20 km east of the outskirts of Cairo) and New Al Alamein (115 km from Alexandria towards the border with Libya), where the main state institutions, including the government and the presidential office, will be transferred from Cairo.
To understand the scale: according to the plan, 11 million Egyptians will permanently live in the new cities, and the total amount of investment in construction exceeds $100 billion.
Investors from the UAE and China also invested in this mega-construction.
Another new supercity is set to appear in Sinai, south of the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
It will be a continuation of the futuristic city of the future Neom, which Saudi Arabia is building in the north-west of the Arabian Peninsula.
In Neoma, all transport communications, including highways, will be driven underground, public transport will be controlled by robots, they will also clean up the territory.
The city uses only solar energy.
Saudi Neom with Egypt will connect the mega-bridge across the Red Sea - twice as long and above the Crimean - 40 km in length, 80 meters above sea level.
For the implementation of this project, Egypt has already transferred to Saudi Arabia the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, through which the structure will be laid.
In the Sinai Peninsula, at the expense of the Saudi authorities, a free trade zone will arise, they promise to build power plants and water utilities.
For this, Egypt approved the construction of oil ports on its Mediterranean coast, through which Saudi oil will go to Europe.
In June 2022, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised to invest another $30 billion in Egypt ’ s economy.
Given all this assistance and the degree of dependence of the country ’ s economy on foreign investment, Egypt could not refuse its partners in such a trifle – holding the World Cup.
Especially since they won ’ t have to pay for it.
Greece and Saudi Arabia united by dislike of Turkey
If the partnership between Egypt and Saudi Arabia looks natural due to the neighborhood, extensive cultural, linguistic and political ties, then the presence of Greece in the application raises questions.
To begin with, the inclusion of a European country in the bid for the World Cup 2030 is a thoughtful and reasonable move that increases the chances of success.
If the partnership were limited to just two Arab countries, it could look like Saudi Arabia ’ s attempt to get the World Cup without a queue at the expense of a dependent African neighbor.
The presence of a European partner makes the project more attractive: football, which unites continents, FIFA loves such stories.
But why Greece and not some other European country?
One of the answers on the surface is that Greece is located in the eastern Mediterranean.
It is much closer to other European countries to Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the flight from Athens to Cairo takes less than two hours.
But there is another reason, which, as in the case of Egypt, has to do with big politics.
The fact is that over the past three years, Greece has turned from an ordinary (and not the largest) buyer of Saudi oil into a key partner and ally of Saudi Arabia in Europe.
At the heart of this friendship lies a dislike for someone else.
The third one is Turkey.
Both Greece and Saudi Arabia were colonies of the Ottoman Empire.
Greece gained independence in the early 19th century, and Saudi Arabia a hundred years later.
But this is history, and the key to understanding the emergence of an anti-Turkish alliance lies in the events of the last decade.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 and the rise to power of Kemal Ataturk ’ s secular regime, Turkey and Saudi Arabia became close political and trade allies for many decades.
The countries together fought against the spread of communist influence in Muslim countries, together supported Iraq in the war against Shiite Iran in the 1980s.
Back in the early 2010s, both countries helped armed opposition groups during the Syrian civil war.
However, even then, there were the first contradictions between Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The thing is in the course of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who began a policy of Islamization and outlined ambitions for the revival of the former power of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey ’ s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and the lifting of the blockade of Qatar led to the fact that the Saudi authorities in 2017 announced a boycott of any goods from Turkey: from vegetables to textiles and television soap operas.
For the Turkish economy, this was a painful blow, given the volume of mutual trade and the economic crisis that began in 2016.
The crisis worsened the following year, when prominent opposition Saudi journalist Jamal Khashogi disappeared from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after he came for a divorce certificate.
Saudi officials initially denied involvement in the disappearance of the journalist, then reluctantly admitted that he was killed.
But they insisted on the version of death in an accidental fight.
However, Turkish investigators said Khashoggi ’ s murder was not accidental, it was carried out by senior Saudi secret services officers, including two generals, who tortured the oppositionist before killing him – in particular, cutting off his fingers.
Turkish President Erdogan said that the Khashoggi killed on direct orders of the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Motives are political.
This provoked a new round of enmity.
Saudi authorities declared the Turkish regime part of the “triangle of evil ” (along with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood) and even recognized the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
They also established close ties with Turkey ’ s historical enemy, Greece.
After Greece gained independence in the Ottoman Empire and later in Turkey, there remained large Greek communities, which were often oppressed.
By the way, PAOK and AEK were founded by Greek refugees from Istanbul after the massacre of 1921-22.
In the 1960-70s, the countries almost started a war over Cyprus.
Turkey invaded the island and formed the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (occupying a third of the island).
The Great War was averted only by the intervention of the United Nations.
Another confrontation between the old rivals arose in the mid-2010s and was associated with the discovery of large deposits of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
For Turkey, which is experiencing a protracted economic crisis, gas could be a real salvation.
However, exploration vessels found that in the exclusive economic zone of Turkey, gas reserves are small, but there is a lot of it on the shelf of the Aegean Sea, which Greece considers its due to the fact that there are more than 1,400 Greek islands.
Most of these islands are uninhabited – over 100 people inhabit only 78 of them.
According to Turkey, this gave it grounds to claim the development of the shelf in these areas.
Greece, of course, protested.
It was supported by France and Germany, as well as a new ally, Saudi Arabia.
But the cooperation between Greece and Saudi Arabia has not only political, but also economic reasons.
Greece ’ s economy has been in crisis since 2008.
High levels of corruption, a large share of the shadow economy, unemployment, political instability have turned the country into the poorest in the European Union.
Greece was mired in debt, but the help of partners did not work – part of the money went nowhere, part provided a huge number of social programs (pensions, benefits, benefits, and so on).
EU leaders demanded austerity from the Greeks, which meant abandoning a significant number of these programs.
But Greek politicians understood that voters accustomed to benefits would not forgive this.
In 2015, Greece defaulted on its debt obligations to the International Monetary Fund, which meant the end of new revenues from international financial institutions.
The left-wing government of the Syriza party, which came to power in the wake of the crisis, counted on Russia ’ s help.
But in 2019, they lost the election of the center-right New Democracy party, and they found a new patron in the face of Saudi Arabia.
The first steps towards rapprochement were military contacts: Greece handed over to Saudi Arabia Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to protect oil refineries from drone attacks by the Yemeni Houthis, long-time enemies of the Saudi kingdom.
In response, Saudi Arabia conducted a large-scale Hawkeye exercise with Greece, defeating the targets of a conditional enemy, which was easily guessed by the Turkish fleet.
These maneuvers caused a strong reaction from Ankara.
Erdogan has threatened serious consequences.
Greek Defense Minister Panayotopoulos said Greece was ready for war.
In parallel with military cooperation, the countries are also establishing business ties.
Of course, Saudi Arabia understands that lending Greece is not the best idea.
That is why we are talking about large-scale Saudi investments in the Greek economy.
Saudi partners promise Greece assistance in the creation of the largest hydrogen energy center in Europe and a global data center through which information will be exchanged between Asia and Europe.
In July 2022, bin Salman visited Athens with a large delegation - for him it was the first visit to Europe since the murder of Khashoggi.
The Saudi prince was greeted in a royal way – 350 limousines were allocated, some of them had to be rented in neighboring Bulgaria.
As a result of the visit, 17 major deals involving Saudi capital were announced.
Nothing was said about football, but soon Greece joined the application of Saudi Arabia to host the world Cup 2030.
Is there any chance of the application of Saudi Arabia – Egypt – Greece?
If it were not for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the chances of winning the intercontinental bid would be great.
FIFA executives have long behaved like businessmen, and the head of the organization, Gianni Infantino, has good personal relations with Saudi Arabia.
In 2019, he even starred in a promotional video of the Ministry of Sports of Saudi Arabia, after which he was criticized by human rights activists.
The declared principle of rotation of continents is an obvious problem of the application.
Everyone understands that Saudi Arabia is the main sponsor of the joint project and plays a major role in it.
Perhaps the situation will be saved by the plan for the final in Egypt.
Other contenders for the world Cup 2030: Spain and Portugal, Morocco, as well as a joint bid of Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.
They insist that the 100th anniversary of the World Championships should be celebrated where it all began in 1930, that is, in Uruguay.
There may be new entrants in the race.
Voting is scheduled for 2024.
Photo: Gettyimages.ru / Alexander Hassenstein, Keystone / Stringer, Mohamed Hossam, David McNew / Stringer; globallookpress.com / Julien Mattia / Keystone Press Agency, dpa, Xu Congjun / Sipa Asia, U.S. Air Force / via Globallo ookpress.com, Saudi Press Agency / Keystone Press Agency, Mohannad Sabry / ZUMAPRESS.com, CSCEC Egypt / XinHua, Depo Photos / Xinhua, Eurokinissi / Keystone Press Agency, Depo Photos / ZUMAPRESS.com, Moritz Muller / imago sportfotodienst; neom.com; en.wikipedia.org; twitter.com / snakhooda; unsplash.com / Meg Jerrard, Osama Elsayed

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

Saudi-Greek cooperation has intensified, making Greece a key partner in Europe for Saudi Arabia, and both countries now share certain regional strategic interests.

Saudi Arabia’s mega-projects and international ambitions are not without regional tensions, including its historic rivalry with Qatar, its burgeoning alliance with Egypt, and shifting relations with Turkey.

Realizing the need for economic diversification, the state has promoted the growth of various online platforms.

Title:

Content: Ribbon
August 05 17: 59
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Global Look Press / Mahmoud Ajjour / Keystone Press Agency
Saudi Arabia continues to implement initiatives to popularize the national culture, using modern technologies for this purpose.
The kingdom has created a digital market Al Bon, where handmade products from craftsmen from all over the region are presented.
“Al Bon gives design enthusiasts the opportunity to discover curated and selected creations directly from the hands of the most coveted manufacturers, ” the site said in a press release.
The developers of the project hope that they will be able to popularize Saudi in particular and Arab culture in general.
They believe that the objects created by craftsmen and designers of the region will find their connoisseurs around the world.
“Al Bon was made to help preserve Arab craftsmanship and highlight the diversity of talents in our community.
By drawing attention to the craft traditions and heritage of the region, we aim to ensure that the Al Bon market makes it easier for buyers to find these independent brands and allow them to learn the stories behind each artist and designer. ”
Now on the online platform, which operates only about a week, there are works of art, fashionable clothes from local manufacturers, gifts, furniture and other goods - the catalog is replenished daily.
albon.com.sa / Prt Scr
For example, a hand-painted dessert plate with miniatures in the style of Islamic art from artist Nura Buzo can be purchased for $66, and a handmade walnut chair with mother of pearl inlay from the Are Gallery from the UAE - for $7,149.
Retail prices on the site now range from $40 to $9,000.
“We manually select each item, hoping that customers will not only enjoy the beauty of each item, but also discover something new about this charming part of the world, ” said Al Bon.
Among the exhibits are dominated by things created using traditional handicraft techniques, but there is also a place for works of modern art in the style of cubism, abstractionism, surrealism, etc.
Private producers in the region have well accepted the Saudi initiative.
Designers from Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco, Syria and the UAE place their products in the online gallery.
Global Look Press / Mahmoud Ajjour / Keystone Press Agency
At the same time, employees of various charitable organizations also found a way to benefit from the appearance of the Al Bon site.
For example, from the NGO Inaash, popular koufi headscarves, hand-embroidered canvas clutches and beaded shawls created in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are exhibited there.
In this way, the organization expects to help struggling artisans who do not have the opportunity to market their products to earn income.
The development of various online platforms in Saudi Arabia fits into the state policy aimed at diversifying the economy.
In line with the Vision 2030 global initiative, Riyadh is looking for various ways to replenish the state budget in order to reduce the country ’ s dependence on mineral exports.
Global Look Press / Simon Kremer / dpa
As part of this, the authorities support many start-ups on the territory of the state and take bold initiatives themselves.
The new Al Bon platform can contribute to the development of the creative economy of the state, for which the leadership of the kingdom has recently taken on an official level.
Thus, among the most striking cultural initiatives implemented in recent years, we can highlight the creation of Diriyah Gate (a large-scale cultural and entertainment complex in the ancient capital of Saudi Arabia), the development of the Misk Art Institute (an art institute operating with funds from the fund of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman), the establishment of the company Manga Productions (anime studio), etc.
Riyadh is not afraid to support small projects of citizens and often goes on bold creative experiments.
The activities of the authorities in this direction expand and enrich the cultural environment of Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, qualified specialists from other countries are actively involved in the work on promising initiatives, which can subsequently help the country achieve its goals.
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How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

To reduce Saudi Arabia's oil dependence
To drive development in high-tech

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The country’s privatization of football clubs, announced in 2023, fits within the broader policy of boosting sports and entertainment as new sectors of economic growth.

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia has launched a project to privatize football clubs.
The league wants to get into the top 10 in the world thanks to him.
Saudi Arabia has launched a project to privatize football clubs.
As part of the Vision 2030 project, aimed at the development of sports in the country, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud launched a project to invest and privatize sports clubs.
The project at the present stage consists of two directions.
The former allows large companies to invest in sports clubs in exchange for transferring ownership of these teams to them.
The second involves the privatization of a number of sports clubs starting at the end of 2023.
The objectives of the project are to promote investment opportunities in the sports sector, as well as to increase the competitiveness of clubs and the quality of their infrastructure.
In addition, thanks to the project, the development of football and competitions in it in the country is expected, which will allow “to bring the league of Saudi Arabia to the list of the 10 best leagues in the world. ”
Saudi Arabia ’ s championship revenue is expected to increase from 450 million rials (€112 million) to more than 1.8 billion rials per year (€450 million), as well as an increase in the league ’ s value from 3 billion to more than 8 billion rials.
In the championship of Saudi Arabia, among others, Cristiano Ronaldo plays for Al-Nasr.
It is expected that in the near future in the local “Al-Ittihad ” will move the former striker of“ Real ” Karim Benzema.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

MBS has stressed that even a one percent increase in GDP via such projects justifies continued reform and investment.

Title:

Content: Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on the laundering of reputation through sports: “Call it what you want.
If it increases our GDP by 1%, we will continue to do so. ”
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia spoke about the role of sports for the country ’ s economy.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud responded to the question that Saudi Arabia uses sports to “launder its reputation ”.
“If the laundering of reputation through sport increases our GDP by one percent, we will continue to do so.
I don't care.
I have a 1% GDP growth from sports, and I aim for another 1.5%.
Call it what you want – we ’ re going to grow that 1.5 percent, ” the king ’ s son told Fox News.
In the summer transfer window, Saudi football clubs spent more than £800 million on transfers of foreign players.
The country claims to host the World Cup in 2030 or 2034.
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What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Significantly, the Crown Prince has curtailed the influence of the religious establishment, notably by restricting the powers of the religious police.

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Has consolidated his power and removed potential rivals

What internal changes has MBS implemented in Saudi Arabia?

Suppressed dissent--especially Islamist opposition

He has championed improved women’s rights, granting women the right to drive and greater participation in public life.

How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

The reforms have weakened Wahhabi clerical influence but risk domestic unrest, especially amidst high youth unemployment.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What internal changes has MBS implemented in Saudi Arabia?

Suppressed dissent--especially Islamist opposition

Through Vision 2030, MBS seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a leading economic and cultural hub while retaining its Islamic identity.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Since his appointment as Crown Prince in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has launched a series of transformative reforms under the Vision 2030 plan, described as one of the most significant events in Saudi Arabia’s 300-year history.

Title:

Content: In a previous statement, the vision of Prince Mohammed bin Salman was described as one of the most important historical events during the 300 years of the establishment of the Saudi state.
It is the comprehensive transformation: how Prince Mohammed bin Salman reshaped the Kingdom with an ambition that embraces the sky, it is Mohammed bin Salman ’ s journey to change the face of Saudi Arabia for more glory!
In this article, we will talk in terms of numbers, international standards and global indicators of countries and also make some comparisons before and after the vision.
Saudi Arabia has undergone radical transformations under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has revolutionized development policies and programs, leading to tangible changes in the country ’ s social, economic, political, diplomatic and even sports structure.
Politically: The Kingdom has taken major and diverse steps and these steps reflect the Kingdom ’ s strategy to strengthen its role as a key player on the international scene and secure its national interests in light of global geopolitical transformations.
This trend reflects the Kingdom ’ s desire to strengthen its relations with multiple world powers and not rely solely on the West and the United States.
Alliances with the East: China: The Kingdom has signed several strategic agreements with China, covering areas as diverse as energy, trade, and investment.
The crown prince stressed the importance of relations with China as part of the "Vision 2030" to diversify the Saudi economy Russia: Saudi Arabia has cooperated with Russia in the fields of energy and investment, and the crown prince held talks with the Russian president to strengthen bilateral relations alliances with the BRICS group: a group that accounts for one-third of global GDP and about 80% of global oil production.
The Kingdom participated in the BRICS meetings, and the Crown Prince expressed his appreciation for the role played by the BRICS in supporting regional and international issues.
OPEC +, which controls about 60% of global oil production, has been crowned as the leader of this group and is the most influential player in a group that controls the energy of the world maintaining alliances with the West: Despite expanding relations with the East, the Kingdom continues to maintain strategic relations with the West, and works to strengthen cooperation in areas such as security, defense, and the economy.
Saudi Arabia seeks to reduce its dependence on the United States by diversifying its strategic partnerships and enhancing independence in its foreign policy, but at the same time it has expanded its cooperation with the United States in areas other than the traditional areas of cooperation between the two countries, thus increasing the overall volume and diversity of cooperation and the economy.
He also worked on developing the Public Investment Fund and increasing the contribution of small and emerging companies to the GDP.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has led expansionary fiscal policies that have made Saudi Arabia one of the fastest-growing economies of the G20.
The vision aims to expand the mineral, technological and industrial base, create jobs, promote foreign direct investment, and expand financial markets.
These ambitious achievements show how Prince Mohammed has not only modernized the Kingdom but reshaped its regional and international economic role, reflecting a strategic vision for a prosperous and sustainable future for Saudi Arabia • The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is a key pillar of Vision 2030.
After Vision: The fund ’ s assets rose to 1.5 trillion Saudi riyals ($400 billion) by the end of 2021.
With current assets of $925 billion, plans to double assets and reach more than $1 trillion by 2030, invest heavily in the local economy and create 1.8 million jobs.
Oil Dependence: Before Vision: Oil revenues made up a large proportion of GDP and the vast majority of the state budget.
After the vision: oil now accounts for less than half of GDP and the share of non-oil activities increased to about 50% of GDP and Moody ’ s predicted that non-oil GDP will grow between 3 and 4% annually until 2030.
Macroeconomic Size: Before Vision: GDP was close to $670 billion in 2015.
After Vision: GDP to exceed $1 trillion by the end of 2022.
World Economic Rank: Before Vision: There were challenges related to oil price fluctuations and the economy rises and falls according to oil prices after Vision: The global report predicted that the size of the Kingdom's economy will increase to rank 13th globally by 2030.
Economic growth indicators: Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Real GDP growth: Preliminary estimates indicate growth of about 2.6% for 2024 and 5.9% for 2025 Inflation indicators: Inflation rate: The inflation rate is an indicator of the level of prices in the economy and its impact on purchasing power.
Global inflation is forecast to decline from 6.8% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024 and 4.5% in 2025, while Saudi Arabia ’ s inflation rate was 1.6% in May 2024.
The data shows a divergence in unemployment rates between developed and developing economies, with the unemployment rate at 4.4% in the third quarter of 2023.
Trade Balance: Trade Balance: The Kingdom recorded a trade surplus of SAR 33.4 billion in March 2024.
Current Account: Current Account to GDP: The current account to GDP ratio was 5.9% in December 2023.
Government debt: Government debt to GDP: Government debt to GDP ratio of 24.8% Manufacturing PMI: Manufacturing PMI reached 56.4 points in May 2024.
Global Competitiveness: Saudi Arabia jumped in the Global Competitiveness Index (IMD) from 25th place in 2016 to 16th place this year, with a score of 79.83 out of 100.
Tourism: The Kingdom has opened new sectors for investment, the most important of which is tourism and invests $800 billion in tourism, targeting 150 million visitors by 2030 after previously reaching its target of 100 million tourists before the expected time.
The Kingdom has launched major projects, and is currently considered one of the largest workshops in the world, NEOM is the largest project in the world, the Red Sea, Qiddiya, the square and King Salman Airport, the list of major projects or Ghiga is not enough to be mentioned or described as they need independent articles to cover some of them.
Social sphere: I will touch on one of the dozens of areas that have been improved in the social sphere.
Vision 2030 has brought about significant social changes, including the empowerment of Saudi women, the improvement of the working environment for women, and the increase of their employment opportunities. There is a global consensus on the steps taken by the vision to empower women, not to mention the tremendous improvements in other areas, especially entertainment, which has become a global benchmark, and raise the quality of life.
The sports field in the sports field: Saudi sport has witnessed a qualitative leap, where the contracting with the world ’ s top stars, and hosting major international sports events, which contributed to strengthening the position of Saudi sport globally, and the Kingdom has become an important international player in several sports around the world such as golf, tennis and boxing.
As mentioned, it is very difficult to surround even the parties of the vision and its achievements because they are complex and cover almost all aspects of life, and its achievements are more than counted in an article or a full number, but these facts, figures and ranks reflect the current political, economic, social and cultural situation of the Kingdom, which is better and better.
Indeed, a vision, a new era, the path of renewal, and the journey of Prince Mohammed bin Salman in redefining the Saudi identity and raising it and its transcendence globally while retaining its authenticity.

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Vision 2030 aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy, which was previously 96-97% dependent on oil, especially after the sharp drop in oil prices in 2015 caused economic challenges.

Title:

Content: Confidence decision and stage vision
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After a decade-long series of rises, oil prices fell dramatically in 2015, and with it the Saudi economy faced a very complex situation, amid widespread concern about the continued state of the oil market saturated with production and stocks, and the dependence of the Saudi economy on this single resource.
The economy of the Kingdom was on the verge of repeating the experience of falling prices at the end of the 1980s, and the wheel of development stopped until the oil market regained its balance.
The difficult situation of the main fuel "oil" to the state treasury coincided with the pledge of allegiance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who made rapid structural changes from the first moments to avoid a repeat of the economic crisis in the 1990s, beginning with the establishment of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs headed by Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
No one realized at the time the importance of the decision and its profound impact on the Saudi economy, enabling a new generation of young leaders to achieve the historic role assigned to them at this important stage.
It was not long before the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 shone in April 2016, seeking to exploit the Kingdom ’ s strengths, namely its vital strategic position on the world map, investment power, Arab and Islamic depth, and harnessing all potential to achieve great national ambitions.
The vision promised at that time a huge challenge in all its numbers, and the exact timing of its completion, but most importantly the emergence of the personality of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as an able leader with scientific and practical knowledge of the capabilities and capabilities of his country and people.
His speeches and speeches to the international and local media clearly reflected his vision of the place that the Kingdom should achieve among the countries of the world, especially in important national issues such as national transformation, diversification of sources of income, empowerment of the private sector, fighting corruption and extremism.
The challenges of national transformation began with extensive changes in ministries and leadership and the establishment of bodies with unprecedented transparency, under the supervision and diligent follow-up of the Crown Prince, which contributed to accelerating progress.
The period following the structural changes of the ministries required extensive tours of Prince Mohammed bin Salman around the world to achieve several objectives, most notably reforming the oil market and opening the doors to Saudi investments led by the Public Investment Fund in its new version.
After Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed the crown prince on June 21, 2017, work continued on maximizing the vision ’ s output.
History records the praise of heads of state and international organizations for his efforts and ability to reform the mechanisms of decision-making in the oil market, which culminated in the production of "OPEC +" with careful governance of its work, which restored prices to levels before the collapse of 2015.
Saudi Arabia is now the world ’ s fastest-growing country among the G20, with 13 percent in the first half of this year, which is witnessing the suffering of many countries with severe economic, social, administrative and political problems.
The current growth is more sustainable than ever because of the actions taken.
The non - oil sector grew by 8.2 per cent.
Already, the Kingdom has overcome difficult circumstances in five years, to crown today the world summit in several indicators, where it advanced eight ranks in the report of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022, ranked 24th out of 63 countries considered the most competitive in the world, and the second best performance in the world, and the financial market achieved the best performance in 14 years.
G20 countries topped the flow of international tourist arrivals in the first seven months of last year, according to the latest reports from the World Tourism Organization, at a rate of more than 121 percent.
Within one year, several programs, plans and designs were launched, including the design of The Line, Oxagon, Trogina and ENOA, which deals with innovations and the energy, water and hydrogen industries, NEOM Digital Technology, as well as sustainability projects in Riyadh with more than 68 initiatives in five sectors, worth more than 346 billion riyals, City Visions and Downtown Jeddah.
There is no secret when it is said that all the previous projects, plans and initiatives have been implemented and implemented under the personal follow-up of the Crown Prince, and to achieve sustainability for development, and to complement the mega projects comes the Royal Order appointing him as Prime Minister, to consolidate the firm and lay the foundations of the Kingdom of the future.
There is no doubt that the wisdom of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was manifested in choosing the right time for this decision, coinciding with the stage of change, reform and development to reach the Kingdom - as the Crown Prince - the highest heaven.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

By 2022, Saudi Arabia’s GDP exceeded $1 trillion, with non-oil sector growth reaching 8.2% and non-oil GDP representing more than 50% of the total by 2023.

Title:

Content: ECONOMY
Crown Prince: Vision 2030 is a march, not a final destination and more needs to be done
Thank you for reading the news of the Crown Prince: Vision 2030 is a march and not a final destination and more should be done and we assure you that we always seek to satisfy you and now with the details
The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers, the Emir, affirmed that the Kingdom recognized early on the importance of international cooperation, growth and energy, and worked to strengthen partnership and integration, stressing the leading role of the Kingdom in making a global impact in growth and energy.
He pointed out that Saudi Vision 2030 is a path, not a final destination, pointing out that the Kingdom ’ s current achievements are only at the beginning stage, and more should be done, which will generate many opportunities for cooperation, growth and development with various international partners.
This came during the participation of the Crown Prince yesterday in a special dialogue session within the special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh with the presence of a number of leaders of the governmental and private sectors and a number of academics and representatives of international organizations from around the world.
The special session discussed the current geopolitical and economic challenges facing the world and the Kingdom's efforts to strengthen international cooperation and act as an engine of growth within the framework of its role as a global economic hub in the Middle East region, which is a cornerstone of the global trading system.
A pivotal role
Prince Mohammed bin Salman added that the Kingdom has played a major and pivotal role in international issues by devoting all efforts to building a stronger, more robust and sustainable global system, in parallel with its great economic and social transformation, stressing that it will continue its role in making a lasting global impact. on common international issues.
Coherent economy
He stressed that the Kingdom is working with its international partners in the framework of promoting innovation, trade integration and energy security in order to reach a coherent global economy, pointing out that the Kingdom provides direct support and development investments in order to encourage economic and financial stability in the world.
A source of opportunity
Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the special meeting of the World Economic Forum has many goals that the Kingdom has worked to achieve in the sectors of economic development.
In partnership with the international community, he stressed that the Kingdom is today a source of opportunities and an incubator for innovation.
Achieving Flexibility
He stressed the Kingdom's commitment to expanding international cooperation with its international partners in order to promote inclusive development, achieve integrated economic flexibility and act as a supporting force for long-term stability, prosperity and peace in the region and the world.
Addressing the current volatile geopolitical environment, he stressed that the most important factor for achieving security, stability and economic progress was to take advantage of all opportunities and to give priority to cooperative partnerships.
Regional and global partners.
Creating Opportunities
The Crown Prince highlighted the Kingdom ’ s achievements within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, noting that the Kingdom continues to create transformative investment opportunities in emerging sectors in various parts of its developed economy.
He discussed the comprehensive reform package implemented by the Kingdom over the past eight years with the aim of enabling the private sector enterprises to contribute to the continuous progress process, pointing to the growth of the Public Investment Fund and its plans to transform into a sovereign fund.
His fortune is in trillions of dollars.
R & D
During a discussion with the Crown Prince about the Kingdom ’ s rapidly diversified economy, he spoke about the Kingdom ’ s recent achievement, for the first time, where the Kingdom ’ s current non-oil GDP represented more than 50% of GDP in 2023, stressing the importance of investing more in the fields of research and development. Given their significant role in enabling leading national companies, including Aqua Power, Sir and Alaat, to continue their growth trajectory.
His Highness pointed out that the fields of research and development constitute a fundamental pillar that allows these companies to employ emerging technologies within their business models and promote growth in this important sector in the Kingdom.
The Crown Prince also pointed out that these efforts contributed to accelerating the pace of growth of the digital economy in the Kingdom at a faster rate.
3 times the global growth rate.
A vibrant community
He also touched on the impact of Saudi Vision 2030 on all aspects of life in the Kingdom, which has resulted in building a vibrant society.
He pointed to significant improvements in quality of life and social development, with women ’ s participation in the workforce doubling since 2016.
The most important thing the Crown Prince said:
• The Kingdom has played a major and pivotal role in international issues to build a stronger and more robust global system
• and sustainability.
• The Kingdom will continue its role in creating a lasting global impact; based on its leadership towards international issues
• Joint.
• The Kingdom is working with its international partners to promote innovation, trade integration and energy security.
• The Kingdom is now a source of opportunities and an incubator for innovation.
• The Kingdom is committed to expanding international cooperation with its partners in order to promote inclusive development.
• The Kingdom continues to create transformative investment opportunities in emerging sectors.
• Saudi Arabia ’ s non-oil GDP represented more than 50% of GDP 2023
• R & D is a key pillar that allows companies to integrate emerging technologies into their business models.
• Accelerating the growth of the digital economy in the Kingdom at a rate three times faster than the global growth rate.
• The impact of Vision 2030 on all aspects of life, resulting in the building of a vibrant society.
• Women ’ s participation in the labor force has doubled since 2016.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a march, not a final destination.
• The achievements of the current Kingdom are only at the beginning, and more needs to be done.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

The reforms have been facilitated by a new generation of young leaders and a desire to strengthen relations with multiple world powers, moving beyond sole reliance on the West and the United States.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia has played a pivotal role in international issues, seeking to build a more robust global system and promote inclusive development through expanded cooperation with regional and global partners.

The Kingdom is accelerating its digital economy at a rate three times faster than the global average, with research and development as key pillars for integrating emerging technologies into business.

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

Through growth in science
Growth in technology

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The transformation includes comprehensive changes to Saudi society, as Vision 2030 aims to build a vibrant society with improved quality of life.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The health transformation program under Vision 2030 seeks to establish Saudi Arabia as a leader in healthcare by restructuring the health sector into an effective, integrated system.

Title:

Content: The Father of Achievements and His Wise Vision
Maryam Al Nuaimi
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Since the accession of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Kingdom has achieved from year to year successes and leaps in all fields. The vision of the young Prince made us see tomorrow before it comes, because from now we are reaping its fruits. Since the pledge of allegiance to the Crown Prince until the anniversary of his seventh pledge, which falls on the 26th of Ramadan this year. This blessed spot and its quality of life, and life cannot be good without health, so it set goals within Vision 2030 to have the best health system in the world, was the health transformation program, which aims to restructure the health sector in the Kingdom to contribute to enhancing its status and activating its components as an effective and integrated health system.
The program aims to improve access to health services and free insurance for citizens by ensuring the coverage of services according to equitable and comprehensive geographical distribution, which enables the health care system to reach all regions of the Kingdom, expand the provision of e-health services and digital solutions.
The Kingdom hosted the Global Health Forum in October 2023 under the theme "Invest in Health", which aimed to meet and exchange views on the transformation of the health sector in the Kingdom, and to learn about the latest discoveries, medical trends and business within the global health care community. Saudi Arabia 2030 has set the equation of global leadership for the health sector in the Kingdom, by moving from focusing on pain to investing in hope, focusing on therapeutic prevention, and focusing on the beneficiary and not only on the bed.
Investment in the pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest investments in the health field, as well as the field of medical services insurance in particular with the entry of private medical insurance companies in the field of health care in the Kingdom.
As a result of the efforts of our wise government and its allocation of a huge budget to the health sector, in 2023, many hospitals were inaugurated in many areas of the Kingdom, which added 1,200 beds to health services.
The number of oncology centers has also been increased from 9 to 18 in 2023 to ease the burden of moving to other areas of treatment.
One of the most important things that any citizen touches is the ease of access to health services and consultations, through the digitization of the health sector, so we have many health applications such as Sehaty application for example.
Life expectancy increased to 77.6 years from 74 years in 2016, with improved health services, a lower rate of premature death from chronic diseases such as stress and diabetes, and a lower rate of traffic accidents.
The most remarkable achievement in the world is the success of the Hajj season every year, free of epidemics and outbreaks that threaten public health even at the height of the pandemic, and the provision of health services at one time and place to nearly two million pilgrims.
We would not have achieved these achievements in a few short years without a young and ambitious leadership and a wise vision, it is a blessing, God save our country and our leaders, and we continue to dream and achieve with the help of God.
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What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

One of the hallmark social changes has been the curtailing of the influence of the Wahhabi religious establishment, most notably by restricting the powers of the religious police (the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice).

Title:

Content: The documentation and monitoring of the civilizational, organizational, cognitive and intellectual achievement witnessed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the time of the founding King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud is an important matter, and a message that we as writers and researchers should work on, which is part of the book: "Legal regulations and instructions published in Umm Al-Qura", which we published extensive news on this page.
This research work, which we rarely find, in the available search engines, contributes to highlighting part of these great achievements, and presenting them to others, and to future generations, on the great efforts of the state in building a great state entity that today competes with the great countries in many fundamental aspects, it competes in e-government through the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, which began with the national transformation that ended and achieved its goals in the same year 2020. Important, and what is happening at the level of applications of artificial intelligence, smart cities in the Neom region, the technical, industrial and economic work system, alternative energy, development work, and the objectives of achieving well-being and quality of life for citizens, which the Kingdom is witnessing these days.
In addition to the great success achieved by the Kingdom during the Coronavirus pandemic, both at the preventive and developmental levels, which made it able to continue the educational and developmental journey alike, without interruption, at a time when life stopped and global movement was completely paralyzed, through educational platforms that represented a wonderful Saudi achievement to the world, and many other platforms that came to serve the country and the citizen.
All this comes through what is achieved by the conscious Saudi minds, the owners of strategic plans who work on decision-making within the team of the godfather of the vision of the Kingdom His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Talking about the vision of the Kingdom needs many volumes, but the most prominent starting points are concentrated in the following:
A vibrant society - a thriving economy - an ambitious nation, and each of these three axes includes several sub-axes.
The vibrant community is based on the unique cultural and cultural values of the Kingdom and includes goals and commitments aimed at developing the established national identity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The success rates in achieving the objectives of the blessed vision, which is today in increasing growth, are observed by every observer or follower of the implementation of its objectives, and that it will achieve high indicators within the next few years, to reach all its objectives ahead of schedule as it seems to followers.
Today, we need to highlight these great achievements through the media and documentation through our competent writers and researchers, and hand in hand we will contribute to the advancement of the civilized growth of our great country.

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Women's rights have been improved, including lifting the ban on women driving in 2018, though the move was accompanied by the arrest of women’s rights defenders just before the ban was lifted.

Title:

Content: After five years in power, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is back on the international stage with Biden ’ s visit.
RIYADH (AFP) - Five years after becoming crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is poised to reassert his position internationally once again, with US President Joe Biden visiting the region and having long been sidelined by the West over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Announcement
Biden's visit, which comes amid the war in Ukraine and the associated high energy prices, completes Mohammed bin Salman, 36, from his isolation, after visits to the kingdom by the leaders of France, Britain and Turkey.
On June 21, 2017, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, named his son Mohammed as crown prince, and the latter immediately began a campaign of unprecedented economic and social reforms, but at the same time, he suppressed all opposition and tightened his grip on the country.
The crown prince has become the de facto ruler of the kingdom, one of the world ’ s largest oil exporters, in a reform process that has turned all aspects of life in the kingdom upside down.
But Khashoggi ’ s killing has cast such a shadow over Prince Mohammed ’ s tenure that Biden ’ s visit next month to Saudi Arabia, once a traditional trip for U.S. leaders, is highly controversial.
Khashoggi, who was close to Saudi power before becoming a critic of the crown prince, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 and dismembered by Saudis from the kingdom.
A US intelligence report concluded that Prince Mohammed approved the arrest or killing of Khashoggi.
The Saudi crown prince denies the accusations.
After the visits of French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Biden ’ s visit is a new recognition of the status of the Saudi crown prince.
Yasmine Farouk of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace believes that Washington has been the center of opposition to Mohammed bin Salman in terms of public official statements and mobilization in the West.
"This is exactly what Mohammed bin Salman has wanted for the past year and a half: a meeting and a photo with Biden as his counterpart," a diplomat living in Riyadh told AFP.
Women behind the wheel
Today, Prince Mohammed bin Salman has fingerprints in all the policies of the Kingdom and its society.
His reforms included abolishing the requirement for women to wear the black abaya and removing restrictions on their movements without the consent of their parents.
The wearing of the abaya and headscarf is now optional.
Women were also allowed to attend concerts and sporting events.
In 2018, they were finally allowed to drive.
The kingdom has also relaxed its guardianship system, allowing women to issue passports and travel outside the country without the consent of their male relatives.
This has contributed to the entry of women into the workforce, which has had a positive impact on the economy.
However, Saudi Arabia ’ s approach to women ’ s issues remains incomplete, especially with regard to those who dare to oppose it.
In 2018, authorities arrested dozens of women human rights defenders, most of them just a month before the women ’ s driving ban was lifted, including those who dared to challenge the driving ban.
In November 2017, authorities arrested dozens of princes and senior officials for questioning over corruption or disloyalty at the luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh.
Hussein Ibish, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Prince Mohammed "linked his comprehensive cultural, social and artistic revolution...
with a dramatic concentration of political power "in his hand.
"Close all obvious sources of direct opposition in order to control" the country, he said.
Expanding beyond borders
Prince Mohammed has also made his mark on his country ’ s foreign policy.
Two months after his father, King Salman, ascended the throne, and while he was defense minister, he pushed for military intervention in Yemen.
Riyadh formed a military coalition of several countries that carried out this intervention to support government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
As a result of the war, Yemen is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly or because of its aftermath, and pushed millions to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
Saudi Arabia has come under criticism, including from the United States, over the conflict, particularly when coalition air strikes have killed civilians.
In a sign of its desire to get out of the Yemeni quagmire, Saudi Arabia helped broker a truce in Yemen that began in April.
The boycott of Qatar, announced three weeks before Prince Mohammed takes office on June 21, was also a manifestation of Saudi foreign policy influenced by bin Salman ’ s influence.
But analysts say the kingdom has finally begun to adopt a conciliatory approach in the region, citing, for example, its involvement in direct talks with Iran, its regional rival, and Prince Mohammed ’ s recent statement that Israel is a “potential ally ” of his country amid regular reports of Saudi-Israeli rapprochement.
The most important element of Prince Mohammed ’ s Vision 2030 is reshaping his country ’ s oil-dependent economy.
The plan, which includes attracting about 30 million foreign tourists a year by 2030, is based on mega projects such as NEOM, the futuristic $500 billion science-fiction city with flying taxis and working robots.
Yasmine Farooq says Mohammed bin Salman “is the center of power (behind the change), but he has done nothing that was not already up for discussion in the public sphere. ”
Christian Ulrichsen, an analyst at Rice University's James Baker Institute, said: "Having achieved much of the argument that only he can change Saudi Arabia by 2030, the next several years will be crucial for Mohammed bin Salman and depend on him achieving tangible results that meet expectations."

How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

Prince Mohammed has also made his mark on foreign policy, exemplified by brokering the Yemeni truce initiated in April, signaling attempts to resolve regional conflicts.

How has Saudi Arabia's foreign policy shifted under MBS?

Observers note that while MBS is the central force behind these changes, many reforms reflected issues already under public discussion in Saudi Arabia.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Vision 2030 is ongoing and described by MBS as a march, not a final destination, with more progress to be made in the years ahead.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) launched the Vision 2030 reform plan after his appointment in 2017, aiming to diversify the economy and reduce reliance on oil.

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia vows to boost oil production
Astana, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia is boosting oil production and stepping up global expansion plans for its state-owned oil company in preparation for what could be the largest stock listing in global history, according to the Financial Times.
Amin Nasser, the chief executive of Saudi Aramco, made his first comments on his government ’ s oil policy since a government reshuffle last weekend, stressing that the company was willing to compete with rivals, warning all producers, including regional rivals Iran and the U.S. shale industry.
Amin Nasser told the company's rare media visit at the headquarters of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran: "No matter what kind of call Saudi Aramco faces, we will respond."
There will always be a need for additional production. Production will increase in 2016. "
Saudi Arabia on Sunday replaced its veteran oil minister Ali al-Naimi, who has been in office for more than 20 years, and industry insiders are watching what happens to Saudi policy or crude oil production.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has hinted that Saudi Arabia could easily boost output to more than 11 million barrels per day as Iran tries to attract customers after years of sanctions relief.
More than one barrel of every eight barrels of crude oil worldwide is produced by Saudi Aramco, which is at the heart of the reform plan that Mohammed is pushing for.
Mohammed, who already has real power in Saudi Arabia, believes the company could be valued at more than $2 trillion after a planned initial public offering (IPO) of less than 5% of Aramco ’ s shares.
The reform plan, called Vision 2030, aims to end Saudi Arabia ’ s dependence on oil within 15 years, leveraging the assets of the state-owned oil company to fund broad investments and diversify the economy.
Saudi Arabia's new oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, said on his first day in office that Saudi Arabia's oil policy remained "stable", but he also showed a willingness to use the country's "maximum sustainable capacity" to meet customer demand.
Khalid Al-Falih, former chief executive of Saudi Aramco, is now chairman of the company.
Saudi Aramco ’ s current CEO, Nasser, said that Saudi Arabia ’ s average daily crude oil production last year was 10.2 million barrels, the highest annual level on record. If Saudi Arabia increases production in 2016, it will squeeze high-cost production in other regions; after nearly two years of falling oil prices, production in other regions has begun to decline.
"We are seeing an increase in global demand," Nasser said, referring to rising consumption in countries such as India and the United States.
I'm reading.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Aramco, producing more than one of every eight global barrels of oil, is central to these reforms aimed at modernizing the kingdom’s energy sector.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

Diversify the economy from oil
modernize infrastructure

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Vision 2030 has introduced regional diplomatic recalibrations, seeking stability in relations with Israel and Iraq, with the pace determined by continued regional conflicts.

Title:

Content: International
International News
Vision 2030 originally hoped to slow down relations with Israel and Iraq, "Saudi Arabia wants regional stability to be an obstacle to war"
[Ming Pao News] Since the ambitious but controversial Crown Prince Mohammed took power, Saudi Arabia ’ s major actions inside and outside the Middle East have attracted attention, with the “Saudi Vision 2030 ” first proposed in 2016 being the key.
The vision aims to transform Saudi Arabia ’ s economy and change its traditional path of dependence on oil revenues, but only if it overcomes its geopolitical challenges.
Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has reoriented its diplomatic course, first breaking the ice with Qatar, then starting negotiations to normalize relations with Israel through the United States, and this year, with the mediation of Beijing, resuming diplomatic relations with Iran, which is considered to reduce hostility and focus on its own development.
Some Saudi scholars admitted to this newspaper that what Saudi Arabia wants now is “regional stability ”, but it was unexpectedly disrupted by the war with Kazakhstan.
According to the official website of Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi strategic plan consists of three pillars: being the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, becoming a global source of investment power, and transforming a unique strategic location into a global hub connecting three continents: Asia, Europe and Africa.
From this point of view, the third most affected by the changes in the geopolitical situation, and the war between Israel and Kazakhstan precisely reflects this.
Stop building relations with Israel.
Imec 's Plan
Less than a month before the Hamas raid, the United States, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Indo-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which seeks to connect India and Europe through the Middle East.
Israel did not sign, but the project's expected route has been set through its largest port, Haifa, and it is believed that the project will accelerate until the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is achieved.
However, after the war with Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia immediately suspended negotiations on the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel, and the risk of war spillover, IMEC began to face difficulties.
Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi independent scholar who studies relations between Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries with Israel, told this newspaper that he believes the IMEC project will eventually be implemented. "I think it will continue quietly... but it will take a long time."
He admitted that when it comes to Israel, everything has been postponed, and that “Israel is now viewed more negatively, complicating the normalization of relations and strengthening cooperation. ” As for how slow it will be, he said, it will depend on how Israel continues the war.
Asked what role Saudi Arabia wants to play in the war with Israel, Aziz admitted that Saudi Arabia has no clear relationship with Hamas or Israel, so its influence on both is "minimal", even if it has influence, it is "very indirect", and at the moment both are very controversial, "so I don't think Saudi Arabia wants to assume or highlight any actual relationship with either side." It is free from the effects of a two-sided atmosphere. "
Binding Iran
I don't want to hide my words from you.
Muhammad ’ s diplomatic line began to soften around 2020, breaking the ice with Doha, forging diplomatic relations with Israel, and more importantly, initiating reconciliation negotiations with regional rival Iran. After early efforts by Iraq and Oman, a resumption agreement was reached in March this year under Beijing ’ s mediation.
According to the Financial Times, the turning point was the attack on Saudi Arabia ’ s oil infrastructure in September 2019, which caused the country ’ s oil production to halve, and Riyadh realized that building a strong strategic relationship with China, which has significant influence over Iran, in addition to US security guarantees, could be beneficial.
Aziz believes that the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran is mediated by China, which is like “giving a level to the relationship and making Saudi Arabia less anxious. ”
He believes that Saudi communication channels with Iran have improved and are proving their strategic value by showing Iran that Riyadh is not a sphere of influence or a target for exploitation.
He admitted that Saudi Arabia does not want to escalate tensions in the Israeli-Kazakh war. “In Saudi eyes, what it wants is regional stability, and this war and its components are hindering that. ”
Saudi Arabia, like other countries in the region, has been quite vocal about the US position, but Aziz believes that Saudi Arabia ’ s impression of the United States will be “business as usual ”, only that the already tense relationship will become more tense.
He admitted that the current situation in Gaza has caused Saudi Arabia to have many complaints about the hypocrisy of the United States and the West, and it is not only the Israeli-Arab war, the United States in the Middle East problems, so Riyadh is very frustrated with the United States, and from its recent official and diplomatic discourse, this is beginning to become a problem, "the Saudis no longer disguising these feelings."
(The Israel-Hamas War)
Related Words: Israel's Hamas War
Previous / Next News

How has Saudi Arabia's foreign policy shifted under MBS?

Negotiating with Israel for normalization

Despite fluctuations in oil prices and changes in US foreign policy, Saudi Arabia continues to prioritize its economic interests in global energy.

Title:

Content: Doing Business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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TMF Group BV
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From legal set-up and oversight to regulatory filings, accounting, tax and payroll, we look after our clients ’ administrative burdens so they can focus on their businesses.
Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in the Middle East and the third largest in the world.
Thanks to rapid economic growth and the government's efforts to attract foreign investment
Saudi Arabia Corporate / Commercial Law
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest and most economically developed country in the Middle East and the third largest oil producer in the world.
Thanks to rapid economic growth and a series of government incentives to attract foreign investment, Saudi Arabia provides a broad market space for companies interested in exploring the Middle East market.
About Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (hereinafter referred to as "Saudi") is located at the strategic crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, and its unique location provides investors with unparalleled innate advantages to enter many markets such as the Middle East and North Africa.
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy in the Arab Islamic world, where the king and crown prince consult with the cabinet on all political decisions and adopt an authoritarian system.
As the world ’ s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia ’ s economy is highly dependent on the oil and energy sectors.
However, in 2016, Saudi Arabia launched Vision 2030, which aims to diversify its economy and attract more foreign investment to reduce its dependence on oil exports.
With the vigorous development of many fields, the Saudi economy has achieved rapid growth and the level of diversification has also increased significantly.
The investment in science and technology, tourism and renewable energy has effectively improved the country's economic structure and laid a solid foundation for future development.
A series of large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the “Saudi New Future City ” (NEOM), the Red Sea Project and Riyadh Metro, have created lucrative investment opportunities for the construction industry.
Saudi Arabia has also invested a lot of money in promoting the tourism industry, introducing a series of convenient measures such as electronic visas for foreign tourists, which have resulted in a double increase in the number of foreign tourists and employment opportunities in the country.
Saudi Arabia is the only member of the Arab Group of 20 (G20, which accounts for about 80% of world GDP) and the largest member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Saudi Arabia is also a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and a founding member of international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League.
Read the facts:
• Official agencies estimate Saudi Arabia ’ s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 at purchasing power parity (PPP) of $1.807 trillion.
(World Economics)
• Currency – Saudi Riyal (currency symbol: ₩; currency code: SAR).
• Language - Arabic.
• Type of government – a monarchy based on Islam, in which the king is the ruler of the country and the supreme commander of the country ’ s military forces.
The Crown Prince and Cabinet assisted the King in governing the country.
Population – 37.33 million (Source: Worldometer, as of March 2024).
• Capital city – Riyadh.
• Pillar industry: oil, trade, investment.
Saudi Arabia has a favorable geographical position, a long history and rich resources, which is of great attraction to investors from all over the world.
However, companies intending to enter the Saudi market should fully understand the local business environment and complex regulatory system to ensure that business activities are carried out smoothly.
Advantages of doing business in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia ’ s oil and gas reserves are second and sixth in the world, respectively.
The huge profits of the oil industry are undeniable, but in recent years, Saudi Arabia has shifted its focus to tourism, entertainment, manufacturing, health care, education and technology.
According to the World Bank, Saudi Arabia is a high-income economy and ranks 19th in the world in terms of nominal GDP.
The main advantages of the business environment in Saudi Arabia include a business-friendly overall environment, excellent geographical location and excellent infrastructure.
As a result, Saudi Arabia has become an ideal destination for companies to set up regional headquarters (RHQ) in the Middle East, providing great convenience for further opening the Middle East market.
As the largest economy among GCC members, Saudi Arabia is behind more than 60 million consumers, high economic integration among GCC members and free trade agreements, which provide a broad space for business development.
Saudi Arabia has developed infrastructure, has successively invested in a number of large-scale projects in transportation, logistics, communications, public utilities, etc., which is very suitable for serving as a logistics center for related enterprises such as supply chain management, distribution, and warehousing.
All modes of transportation can be seamlessly connected here, which provides great convenience for entering the international market while improving the efficiency of the movement of people and goods.
The Saudi government has launched a series of incentives and projects, which are also a highlight of the local business environment.
In order to promote private sector growth, Vision 2030 has launched a series of projects to promote privatization, regulatory facilitation and economic diversification around four areas: improving the quality of human resources, improving the business environment for foreign investment, improving public management, and creating a competitive and adaptable labour market.
These projects have significantly enhanced Saudi Arabia ’ s international reputation.
Saudi Arabia actively participates in regional and international political affairs, and gives strong support to the alliance and related projects that promote prosperity, development, peace and stability, which has been highly recognized by the international community.
Saudi Arabia has actively carried out various diplomatic activities, hosted many international summits, and worked hard to build its image as an international power.
The Saudi government has introduced many incentives to stimulate foreign investment, including tax exemptions, subsidies, land grants and expedited approvals.
Special Economic Zones (SEZ) such as King Abdullah Economic City and NEOM provide additional incentives and regulatory convenience for businesses operating in the region.
Saudi Arabia offers a lot of facilities for foreign investment, but to operate smoothly, companies must have a thorough understanding of the local culture and regulatory requirements.
Doing Business in Saudi Arabia: Culture
Islam originated in the land where Saudi Arabia is located.
According to the Basic Law of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Islam is its state religion.
Saudi culture is heavily influenced by Islam, and businesses operating here must fully understand and respect local religious customs and traditions.
Saudi business culture is characterized by conservatism, low profile and friendliness.
Proper greetings and excursions play a very important role in creating a good atmosphere of exchange and building a long-term relationship of mutual trust and cooperation.
In the Western world, regulatory compliance and corporate governance are the foundation of all business practices.
However, in Saudi Arabia, business practices incorporate many local cultural elements on the basis of the above.
Building good cooperation with local parties is a top priority.
To be successful in business, companies must invest a lot of time in building good relationships of mutual trust and respect with the parties concerned.
Top executives should establish good personal relationships with potential partners to pave the way for future business contacts and long-term cooperation.
In exchanges and exchanges, compared with pragmatic and direct, Saudi Arabia is more inclined to euphemism and roundabout.
Before entering into substantive business negotiations, locals are more accustomed to familiarizing themselves with potential partners.
The progress of communication and consultation here is relatively slow, leaving enough room for both sides to maneuver, so rushing forward and rushing time may leave the impression of unreasonable offense.
Therefore, in the negotiation or business meeting, the senior management of the enterprise should be patient and courteous.
Saudi regulatory environment
As the Saudi government continues to simplify regulatory requirements and introduce numerous incentives to attract foreign investment, it has become increasingly easy to set up wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the country.
As a result, Saudi Arabia jumped from 92nd to 62nd in the World Bank ’ s Ease of Doing Business report.
In order to achieve the goals of "Vision 2030", Saudi Arabia has taken various measures to attract foreign investors to establish limited liability companies (LLC) in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Ministry of Investment (MISA) even issued a decree in 2015 to repeal the previous law, allowing the establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the retail and wholesale industries.
Despite the relaxation of regulations, companies still need to be fully aware of the complex local regulatory requirements.
1. Type of enterprise and capital requirements of foreign enterprises
The types of entities that foreign investors can set up in Saudi Arabia are as follows:
The most common include LLC, Joint Stock Company (JSC) and branch companies, where branch companies are preferred by multinational companies.
Although local laws and regulations do not set minimum capital requirements for an LLC, in practice, MISA stipulates a minimum capital of 500,000 Saudi riyals for foreign-owned LLC.
Specific areas such as real estate investment, contracting and business have clear minimum capital requirements.
Investors interested in participating in government procurement projects (wholly or partly funded by the government) are required to set up regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
2. Labour legislation
A good understanding of local labour laws and regulations is essential to ensure employment compliance.
Saudi Arabia has set strict requirements for the proportion of its citizens employed, which is a key challenge for foreign investment.
Vision 2030 sets out detailed criteria for promoting employment for nationals. The "Saudi Nationalisation" programme, also known as "Nitaqat", aims to increase the proportion of Saudi citizens employed in the private sector.
The proportion of Saudi employees in the company must not be less than 75% unless special permission is obtained from the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD).
If the company can prove that it is unable to find a sufficient number of qualified Saudi employees (with relevant skills or qualifications), the MHRSD will grant the corresponding permission.
Saudi employees can enter into fixed-term or non-fixed-term contracts, but foreign employees can only enter into fixed-term contracts.
Foreigners must hold a work visa to work in Saudi Arabia, for which they must obtain a guarantee from a Saudi employer.
The processing time for work visas is approximately two to three months.
Before hiring foreign workers, companies must obtain a "block visa" (or indicator) approval from the MHRSD.
3. Guarantor system (kafala system)
More than half of Saudi Arabia ’ s workforce are foreign workers.
Like many other GCC member states, Saudi Arabia also adopts the Kafala system for foreign workers (i.e., the guarantor system), which defines the relationship between foreign workers and their employers in the form of a law, including employment contracts, remuneration and working conditions.
Under the system, Saudi Arabia will give companies permission to hire foreign workers.
Human rights organizations have long expressed high concern about the system because of its restrictive nature and the absence of employee safeguards.
In recent years, however, the system has undergone several reforms that have strengthened the protection of the interests of employees and eased restrictions on the freedom of movement of personnel.
From 2021, employees can leave Saudi Arabia or change jobs without the employer ’ s consent after their employment contract expires.
An employee may change jobs during the duration of the contract, provided that the employer is informed within the specified time
Employees are also no longer subject to “exit authorization ” and can travel indefinitely without an employer ’ s permission.
4. Tax system
Saudi Arabia adopts a territorial tax system, and the corporate tax rate varies depending on the type of industry and the number of Saudi employees.
In general, non-Saudi investors who invest in Saudi Arabia are obliged to pay corporate income tax, and non-resident enterprises, whether or not they are Saudi enterprises, are also required to pay corporate income tax as long as they carry out business activities in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has a number of tax regulations that benefit investors, such as no personal income tax and standard tax year (companies can use their internal fiscal year), and its tax system is easy to operate, companies only need to log in to a single port, and most of the content is in English.
Although the tax work seems relatively simple, there are still some issues that must be taken seriously.
Access to public information and tax requirements is limited, and there are inconsistencies in tax codes and specific operations.
The application of the Double Taxation Treaty (Double Taxation Treaty) has to be submitted in Arabic.
The main taxes that investors should pay attention to when doing business in Saudi Arabia are as follows:
Corporate Income Tax (CIT): A flat rate of 20% for non-Saudi entities or permanent establishments and 2.5% for domestic companies (including GCC member states).
Withholding Tax (WHT): The tax rate varies between 5% and 20% depending on the type of income that non-resident entities receive from Saudi Arabia.
• Value Added Tax (VAT): The standard tax rate has been raised from 5% in 2020 to 15% today to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.
Specific goods and services are exempt from VAT, specifically including the international transport of goods and passengers, some medicines and medical equipment, and the supply of investment metals.
• Social Insurance Tax: All companies must pay social insurance tax for each employee, with different rates for Saudi and foreign employees.
• Zakat: Also known as zakat, all Saudi entities are required to pay this tax according to Islamic teachings.
The General Directorate of Taxation and Customs (ZATCA) is the official tax authority of the Kingdom and is responsible for all tax and customs matters in the Kingdom.
Companies intending to operate in Saudi Arabia must ensure that they are kept abreast of the latest local tax regulations to ensure compliance and avoid unexpected tax liabilities.
In February 2024, Saudi Arabia issued new tax incentives for regional headquarters of multinational companies in its territory.
According to the latest regulations, entities that meet the relevant standards can be exempted from the preferential treatment of CIT and WHT for a period of 30 years and renewable.
In addition, some regions also provide additional tax incentives for businesses.
Specific destinations for doing business in Saudi Arabia
Multinational companies intending to operate in Saudi Arabia must carefully choose a specific destination.
In order to determine the most suitable city, enterprises must consider the following factors: whether it is close to the target market, whether it is convenient to recruit high-quality labor, and whether the infrastructure is adequate.
The eyes of businesses are mainly on Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and the center of its economic, financial and commercial activities.
Freight forwarders in Riyadh operate daily, providing great convenience to travel to other parts of the country and to other countries around the world.
With a population of more than 6 million, Riyadh is one of the fastest growing metropolises in the world.
Jeddah is the second most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and the largest port to the Red Sea.
In recent times, Jeddah tourism has undergone a rapid development, and the local infrastructure and development level have entered the fast lane, making it an ideal destination for urban-related investors.
The Dammam region is rich in oil resources and is an ideal location for investors in the oil industry.
In addition, it is also very suitable for start-ups, attracting entrepreneurs from many different fields to invest here.
In addition to the above three cities, SEZ and other industrial cities are also good choices for many companies.
In April 2023, the Saudi government announced the establishment of four Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to provide a unique competitive advantage to foreign investors, some of which are fixed in the form of legal provisions.
The four SEZs are: King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Jazan Economic City (Jazan), Ras Al Khair and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
They provide incentives for multinational companies operating in the region, such as 5% CIT for up to 20 years, WHT exemption, and tariff relief for goods in the region.
Employee recruitment and human resources management
One of the biggest challenges for doing business in Saudi Arabia is employee recruitment and human resources management.
According to the official Saudi census data for 2022, the total population of the country is 32.3 million, of which 42% are foreigners and 63% of Saudis are under the age of 30 (Saudi Bureau of Statistics, 2022).
Faced with such a large young population, the Saudi government has launched a number of programs to promote education, training and job creation to empower young people, which is particularly noteworthy for companies interested in recruiting employees in the country.
Vision 2030 not only drives economic reform, but also brings about social change on a larger scale.
We should not only realize the core goal of modernization, but also inherit and carry forward traditional culture.
Empowerment programmes for women and young people have had a particularly strong impact.
Under the framework of "Vision 2030", women have gained more jobs, a number of educational reforms and entrepreneurship projects have been successfully implemented, and Saudi Arabia's human resource advantages have been brought into full play.
With more and more Saudi women entering the workforce, Saudi Arabia has seen a rapid growth in the number of highly qualified workers in the fields of finance, engineering, medical care, science and technology.
Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has carried out several employment reforms, and women ’ s right to work has achieved unprecedented progress.
According to the World Bank ’ s Women Business and Law report, some of the reforms include women ’ s right to choose their place of residence, a ban on gender discrimination in the workplace, and a ban on firing pregnant women.
In order to maintain a compliant operation in Saudi Arabia, effective human resources management is indispensable.
It is important and necessary to keep abreast of the latest policies, do a good job of consulting related work, and establish good relations with relevant government agencies.
To improve transparency, implement best practices, and align business strategies with financial and operational objectives, companies need to build their presence in local markets and government systems.
Businesses operating in Saudi Arabia should attach great importance to hiring local Saudi employees.
Investors can attract top talent by partnering with third-party recruitment agencies and conducting skills training.
Saudi Arabia has a series of special regulations for the employment of foreign workers, which also need to be focused on.
If non-Saudi employees with professional skills are required, companies need to recruit talent through international recruitment channels, and support and assist in visa processing, resettlement, cultural integration and other aspects.
Foreign enterprises operating in Saudi Arabia need to pay high attention to cross-cultural training when carrying out human resources management work.
Onboarding training should be provided to non-Saudi employees to help them understand Saudi working culture and social practices to minimize misunderstandings and promote efficient collaboration.
TMF Group not only has a deep understanding of Saudi Arabia, but also provides customized services to help companies streamline workflows, ensure compliance, and fully tap Saudi Arabia ’ s huge market potential to achieve continuous growth.
FAQs
1.
What are the benefits of doing business in Saudi Arabia?
Benefits include access to vast markets in and around the Middle East, with up to 60 million consumers, business-friendly infrastructure, tax incentives for foreign investors, and less difficulty in obtaining capital support.
2.
What types of companies can be set up in Saudi Arabia?
Many types of companies can be set up in Saudi Arabia, but the most common are LLC, JSC and branch offices.
Among them, foreign investors usually choose to set up branches.
3.
What are Saudi Arabia's restrictions on foreign companies?
In general, Saudi Arabia allows the establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises, provided that the shareholders meet the requirements set out in the MISA.
4.
How long does it take to establish a business
Companies need to obtain an investment license from MISA before they can begin the formalities related to the establishment of an LLC or a branch.
It takes about three to four months for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to complete a business registration (CR).
5.
What does "Saudization" (Nitaqat) mean?
It refers to the “Saudi Nationalisation Programme ” run by the Ministry of Labour, which makes it mandatory for companies to hire Saudi nationals.
6.
What are the prospects for doing business in Saudi Arabia?
In general, doing business in Saudi Arabia can bring substantial economic benefits with a full understanding of Saudi culture and regulation.
The Saudi economy is developing rapidly, the government has introduced many incentives, capital is abundant, and many industries are in the ascendant period.
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The reform agenda includes ambitious megaprojects like "The Line," a 170 km city designed to foster innovation and sustainability in face of environmental challenges.

Title:

Content: Can Saudi Arabia break through its natural limitations? ｜ Geography of the World
Author: Zhou Xuan
Published: Updated:
“By 2030, Saudi Arabia will grow 450 million trees to supply 50% of the country ’ s electricity through renewable energy.
By 2060, Saudi Arabia will be carbon neutral … ” As early as a week before the United Nations climate summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made such an ambitious pledge at the country ’ s first Green Initiative Forum, reversing the past Saudi Arabia ’ s barring of climate commitments.
Since his father became king in 2015, Mohammed has been aggressively diversifying and greening the Saudi economy, trying to break through the country ’ s path of development shaped by oil and desert.
However, the gap between ideal and reality is as wide as the sky, can Saudi Arabia get what it wants?
Geography has been an important factor dominating the trajectory of modern Saudi Arabia.
The natural environment of the country is quite harsh, subtropical high pressure and subtropical cyclone lock up hot air from the equator, forming a tropical desert climate, 95% of the country is desert, the maximum daily temperature for five months in the summer reaches an average of 45 degrees Celsius, the annual rainfall is less than 100mm, and there are even no regular rivers on the surface.
Saudi Arabia is a barren land compared to Syria and Iraq, which feed on the two river plains to the northeast, Egypt, which feeds on the Nile River to the west, and fertile land with abundant rainfall on the Yemeni plateau to the south.
However, the country has become the world ’ s largest oil exporter by relying on its rich oil reserves, thus breaking through the harsh environment and easily becoming a high-income country.
But in the context of the country ’ s race to develop renewable energy, there is uncertainty about the oil wealth that Saudi Arabia has relied on in the past.
The country has formed a fairly single economic structure, oil revenue accounts for about 70% of the state's fiscal revenue, 90% of the total exports, and the industrial system and service industries other than oil are quite weak.
When most major powers are determined to become carbon neutral by 2050 or 2060, it can be said to pose an existential crisis for Saudi Arabia, which urgently needs to embark on an economic transformation.
A future limited by drought and heat
However, Saudi Arabia ’ s poor natural conditions have created strong resistance.
The country ’ s water resources are extremely scarce, hindering the prospects for industrial development.
Although it has been very dry, it has at least been rich in groundwater resources, that is, the Arabian aquifer with reserves of up to 500 billion cubic meters.
However, since the 1980s, Saudi Arabia has overexploited these non-renewable fossil water resources, and the government subsidized the development of agriculture and livestock at high prices, which made the country create a desert agricultural miracle, and even became the world's sixth largest wheat exporter.
Saudi Arabia only woke up in 2008, cutting subsidies for wheat every year until 2016 to zero, and further adding desalination plants to increase the use of desalinated seawater, which has so far reached 50% of the country ’ s water, but this can no longer make up for the fact that four-fifths of the country ’ s groundwater has been depleted.
Considering that desalination is expensive and consumes electricity, the country will face the restrictions of expensive water prices if it wants to develop its industrial system, especially the photovoltaic and hydrogen production industries that are currently under consideration in Saudi Arabia, and the electronics industry that is standing in the wind outlet of the future are large water consumers.
Saudi Arabia once created a desert agricultural miracle as a wheat growing area in Saudi Arabia, but paid the price of over-extravagant groundwater and land salinization. (Wiki Commons)
In addition, warming will also be a serious constraint.
While some would argue that the Saudis are used to high temperatures and that rising temperatures have little impact, it ’ s not that simple.
Temperatures in Saudi Arabia have risen three times faster than the global average over the past four decades, with daily maximum temperatures likely to reach an average of 50 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, and humidity is also rising rapidly. Dewpoint, a measure of humidity, has risen by 6 degrees in the past four decades, especially on the east and west coasts.
Such a combination of high humidity and high temperature can make it difficult for sweat to evaporate, making it difficult to regulate body surface temperature, raising the risk of heat stroke and dehydration, and even life-threatening.
Saudis accustomed to dry heatwaves will find it hard to withstand the changes, and the country ’ s highly dependent foreign workers will find it even more intolerable.
In particular, Saudi Arabia has planned a large number of infrastructure options for its future development, and the open-air construction industry will bear the brunt of the extreme hot and humid climate.
In addition, such a deadly heat wave will also reduce the attractiveness of foreign talent and tourists.
To make matters worse, Mecca, Saudi Arabia ’ s first holy city, and Jeddah, the second largest port city, are both on the west coast, while Dhahran, the city of Saudi Aramco, where Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco is headquartered, is on the east coast of the Persian Gulf, suffering more from rising humidity than Riyadh, deep in the heart of the desert.
These cities have now occasionally exceeded the “extremely dangerous ” threshold of“ Wet bulb Temperature, ” a comprehensive measure of humidity and heat, and scientists warn that they will become increasingly uninhabitable by the middle of the century.
Not only will this have a serious impact on Saudi economic activity, it will also affect the summer Hajj in Mecca, dealing a blow to its religious supremacy.
Saudi Arabia ’ s “Wet bulb temperature ” map on September 8 shows that the East and West coasts have exceeded the“ extremely dangerous ” threshold of 29 degrees Celsius. As temperatures and humidity continue to rise, the Saudi coast will become more uninhabitable. (Meteologix.com)
Off-site transformation and greening planning
The Crown Prince Mohammed is well aware of the unpromising prospects for the future.
Since 2016, he has proposed a “Vision 2030 ” aimed at attracting foreign investment and tourists and developing a diversified economic structure. In October last year, he proposed the“ Let ’ s Make it Green ” project for afforestation in Saudi Arabia, and recently proposed the goal of planting 450 million trees by 2030, generating electricity from 50% renewable energy, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
However ambitious, these grand blueprints are underpinned by a lack of actionable action.
For example, the pillar project of Vision 2030, Neom Techno City, is full of Mohammed ’ s whims, including a taxi flying in the air, a Jurassic Park-like robotic dinosaur island, a sandy beach glowing in the dark, and a giant artificial moon.
The latest idea also includes a 170-kilometer stretch of The Line, connected by high-speed rail, with no roads and no vehicles, and an entire city powered by clean energy.
The whole idea is far beyond Saudi Arabia ’ s scientific and technological level and management capabilities, if not impossible.
The 170 km long line city (The Line) envisioned by the King of Saudi Arabia. (Neom official website)
At present, Saudi Arabia has invested US $1 billion in this project, but the project is still largely in the conceptual stage, and many foreign experts have resigned because they are not adapted to the management methods and the current situation of the project, so it is impossible to talk about the development of advanced technology and industry under the project.
As for attracting foreign investment, the influx of Saudi foreign investment has been greatly reduced since Mohammed seized royals and businessmen in the name of anti-corruption in 2017 and the dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, and the epidemic has worsened. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the four years from 2017 to 2020 totaled only $15 billion, which is only 40% of the peak of foreign investment in Saudi Arabia in 2008. Desperate to step.
Similar to the loft-like Neom in the air, the Saudi carbon-neutral plan is also lacking in feasibility.
Muhammad, for example, has pledged to plant 450 million trees by 2030.
Not to mention that this rate is six times faster than the rate of tree planting in Saudi Arabia in the past year and a half, and it is doubtful whether it is feasible, and the specific tree planting options, planting areas and irrigation methods are unknown.
Planting trees in the desert is not easy. Although some traditional desert trees such as date trees and pea trees can survive on groundwater, the land may not be able to withstand large amounts of such trees in the case of excessive groundwater extraction and rapid decline in water levels in Saudi Arabia, which may require sophisticated irrigation technology, which is quite demanding in terms of technology and water resources. The cultivation of exotic trees can lead to an ecological crisis.
As for increasing renewable energy generation, this commitment is more feasible, after all, Saudi Arabia has sufficient light, large desert open space can be set up solar panels, and the strong wind brought by the northeast wind in the summer is also conducive to the development of wind energy.
However, given that the country ’ s renewable energy accounted for less than 0.05% of the country ’ s electricity supply in 2018, it is far from the target of 50% by 2030.
Coupled with the country's planning of a large number of infrastructure projects, the rapid increase in population, and the demand for desalinated seawater with the further depletion of groundwater, it is expected that electricity consumption will also rise, and the number of renewable energy installations and grid speed can catch up with electricity consumption is unknown.
For Saudi Arabia, the gift of oil allows the country to break through environmental constraints and easily become rich, but it also prevents it from developing industries, technologies and management experience other than the petrochemical system.
But as the share of oil wealth shrinks in the future and the country seeks to transform, harsh natural conditions begin to constrain the country ’ s development, and deadly climate change adds to the challenge. At the same time, the young king is too ambitious and avant-garde project planning, it is difficult to say whether it can transform the Saudi economy as it intended, rather than a waste of public money. And...
However, there is still time and money to transform the country in Saudi Arabia, which may be able to truly escape the blessings and curses of black gold and the restrictions of the sand and create a diversified green economy.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The country is racing to embrace renewable energy, recognizing uncertainty in the future of oil wealth due to global shifts toward sustainable resources.

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

To drive development in renewable energy

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

Under MBS, Saudi Arabia has taken bold steps to open its society, including curtailing the influence of the conservative Wahhabi religious establishment by restricting the religious police.

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia will send a female astronaut on a space mission for the first time this year, in the latest move to rebrand its ultra-conservative image.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that Rayyana Barnawi, a female astronaut, will join Ali Al-Qarni, also from Saudi Arabia, on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Saudi Press Agency and Axiom Space Inc. said that Barnaway and Carney will fly to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX ’ s Dragon spacecraft as part of the private Axiom space company ’ s mission this spring.
Axiom 2 will also be carried out by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who will make her fourth flight to the International Space Station, and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee, will be the pilot.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aboard Axiom 2 will be launched from Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and flown to the International Space Station.
Saudi Arabia ’ s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been trying to shed his shadowy image by pushing for reforms.
Since he took power in 2017, women have begun to be allowed to drive and travel abroad without a male guardian, and their share of the workforce has more than doubled since 2016, from 17 percent to 37 percent.
Saudi Arabia formulated a space program in 2018 and launched another last year to send astronauts into space as part of Mohammed Salman ’ s 2030 Economic Diversification Vision Agenda.
Axiom Space carried out its first mission to send civilian astronauts to the International Space Station in April 2022, when four civilian astronauts spent 17 days in space during the Ax-1 mission.
# Mission # Saudi Arabia # International Space Station # Axiom # Astronaut

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

Major social reforms have extended women’s rights, illustrated by the appointment of female flight crews and the upcoming historic mission of sending a female astronaut to space.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

As part of MBS's efforts to rebrand Saudi Arabia’s image, high-profile investments have brought global sporting icons like Messi and Ronaldo to the country.

Title:

Content: MBS Green Ball and Desert Syndicate
Comments 2022 / 12 / 19
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Qatar World Cup "Twilight of the Gods", may be the last of the "double pride" Messi, C Ronaldo.
Readers see this article, the "Pampas Eagle" Argentina advanced to the final, the suspense has been solved whether the United States will be able to soar to the top of the heats of the Hercules Cup.
It is a pity that Portugal has already played the Fado complaint, and the top 8 is out. The two big ball kings of C Long and Mei Si did not have a chance to face each other at the peak of the World Cup, leaving a little regret for the football industry.
Hopefully, not far from Qatar, there is a "desert jailer", who is known as "MBS" Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
This person has a lot of controversy, and at the same time has ambition and vision, and financial strength is even more shocking.
Because of MBS, Messe and C Long may continue to play in the desert in the future.
No matter who you don ’ t like or who you prefer, Messi and C Long are both recognized as the two biggest overachievers of our time.
The two people look at the mountains at a glance, such as the tennis world of Fedana and Nato, the F1 world of Paul and Senna, the three countries of Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang.
This year, Messi surpassed his predecessor, Badiz Toda, to become the Argentina team's all-time World Cup goalscorer and the most active player in the World Cup.
Before the United States played in Qatar, it won 41 major championships, including 10 La Liga, 7 Copa del Rey, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, surpassing C Long ’ s 34 titles.
He has won seven Golden Globes and six European Golden Boots, two more than Ronaldo.
However, in terms of cumulative goals, C Long has so far won a little, with a total of about 820 goals, more than Mays' about 800 goals.
In any case, the two have already left Brazil's Billy King and Germany's "bomber" Mena and other famous players, and the closest active players have to count the Polish striker Levandowski, who has not reached 600 goals, and the Swedish striker Ibachimović.
Missy's low-key, introverted C, romantic.
Max, C Long achievement close, personality is very different.
It is rare to see a conflict of words between the Dutch players after the game.
He has always been humble, humble, and worthy of being a good man.
Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and his teammate's successor Neymar gave out the number 10 shirt, but he did not accept it, but chose to be a number 30 "general", which is his first number in Barcelona, and the number 10 was the "whistle" Ronaldo.
C Lang is a fan and a lover.
When he was replaced in the group game, the scene was not surprising, and even more so after the Manchester United uproar. Even if he is no longer at the peak, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United last year, still honest and polite, asking for the legendary number 7 in the team, wearing the old Jane Donna, David Beckham, and his youth as a new star of the Red Devils.
The "bad boy" style may have enhanced the "fan" attribute. C Lang has more than 500 million followers on Instagram and 160 million followers on Facebook, both of which are the most popular people, and more than 6 billion followers on Twitter.
In contrast, Messe IG ranked second behind C on the list, and only about 390 million fans.
Fortunately, Meisz and C Lang did not "have a son, a son, a son, a son, a son, a son, a son."
Before the World Cup, the famous brand LV invited them to take a (although synthetic) picture of the same frame, the Messerschmitt held his chin, C clasped his face, and the two played chess.
"Victory is a State of Mind".
Interestingly, the chess game is a replica of the 2017 Norwegian master Carlson and Japanese-American opponent Murakami classic and game.
At the end of the World Cup, a new star shines in the Arabian desert.
This man is a political, energy and investment superstar, and his life is like a rock star, and football superstars such as Messi and C Long may be his help in making Saudi Arabia a star country.
Several World Cup side shooting role, there must be Saudi Crown Prince MBS.
He went to Moscow to play host to Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Although there is no Saudi Arabia in this year's opener, he photographed Doha to watch the game, and supported Qatar to hold a good event, and also put on the color scarf of the national flag.
It should be noted that Saudi Arabia only dissatisfied with Qatar ’ s “pro-Iran ” relationship five years ago and initiated a blockade.
Qatar's Emir also paid tribute to Li, donning the Saudi flag to celebrate when Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in the group stage.
The 37-year-old MBS is a controversial desert juniper.
He was accused of being the mastermind behind the dismemberment of journalist Khashoggi. US President Joe Biden called him “untouchable ” and opponents in the Middle East called him“ Little Saddam. ”
But MBS is also a bold and resourceful reformer, seen as the hope of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
In 2017, King Salman of MBS changed the tradition of “brotherhood and brotherhood ”, abolishing the former king who had been the Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Economic Development Council for two years, and was in charge of the military and political power.
Since then, MBS has officially become the actual leader, and the kingdom has finally passed power to the third generation for more than 80 years.
MBS acted quickly, and a few months later, through a meeting to house arrest other members of the royal family, forcing the other party to pay "corrupt money" and show loyalty before releasing them, in one fell swoop, purging the royal family, that is, the entire mountain of the Saudi establishment.
Public Investment Fund MBS Private Investment
As a young member of the royal family of the largest oil exporter, MBS has lived a superstar life before its ascension.
Microsoft founder Gates is also just renting the super yacht Serene, MBS took away with 500 million US dollars in one breath, and placed Da Vinci's famous painting "Savior" on the boat, which cost 450 million US dollars.
He also reportedly arranged for 150 models to party with himself on his private island in the Maldives.
After MBS came to power, it also controlled Saudi Arabia ’ s $600 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF). Although this sovereign fund has become a private investment of MBS to a certain extent, the position reflects the love of superstars, but it also has more options for Saudi Arabia to get rid of oil in the future.
US video game three giants Blizzard, EA, Take-Two ranked among the top 10 holding stocks in PIF, and first was the brand Lucid of Tesla Model S original engineer Peter Rawlinson's self-supporting portal.
The size of PIF exceeds Qatar ’ s approximately 450 billion, and the UAE ’ s approximately 800 billion, with a target of 2 trillion by 2030.
MBS is also looking at the path of economic diversification in neighbouring countries.
At the end of November, he announced plans to build a new hub for Middle East aviation, set up a new airline, and build six balanced runways at Riyadh Airport, which will serve 120 million passengers in 2030, 10% more than the world's largest airport in Atlanta before the epidemic.
Saudi sports minister threatens to pack "US C"
Just as Qatar bought PSG and the United Arab Emirates bought Manchester City, PIF also bought Newcastle, aiming to enhance the national image with sports.
Saudi Arabia is bidding with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 World Cup. C Lang left Manchester United and was revealed last week to train alone with Real Madrid, and the Saudi league beckoned with an annual salary of 200 million euros.
As for Messi, he has been Saudi Arabia ’ s travel ambassador since May, and he will end his contract with PSG next year.
The Saudi sports minister said: Both want!
Saudi Arabia has a political and economic influence that its neighbors cannot match, allowing MBS to talk about diplomacy.
He and Biden clashed, turned to Russia to cut production, and at the same time moved closer to China to study RMB settlement.
MBS ’ s Saudi Vision 2030 aims to build a 170-kilometer linear city, The Line, in the heart of the desert, with no cars, zero carbon emissions, and full of plants under modern skyscrapers.
While many people still think that this is impossible "big flicker", satellite photos show that more than 100 kilometers of land has been excavated in October!
MBS and C Lang ’ s “A Mindset in Shengli City ” may be just as appropriate for MBS!
Saudi Arabia ’ s Crown Prince Mohammed, although controversial, has both ambition and vision, and is even more financially astounding. (Reuters file photo)
Author: Lien Siu-feng
Column: Chugai Wide Angle Mirror
Follow the latest financial news analysis, like hket Facebook

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

The sovereign wealth fund, though sometimes criticized as a private investment tool, reflects MBS’s ambition to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil.

How does Vision 2030 aim to foster new industries and employment?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To lessen reliance on oil.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia’s global alliances are evolving, as seen through Xi Jinping’s visit and the strengthening of ties with China and other Arab countries under the Belt and Road Initiative, signaling a shift from traditional American influence.

Title:

Content: Xi Jinping visits Saudi Arabia with one stone and two eagles
Font Size:
Source: China Times News Network
Author: Zhang Liangren
After the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping launched a multilateral diplomatic offensive, and after attending the APEC meeting, he turned his attention to the Middle East.
In addition to meeting with the Saudi king and crown prince, he will also hold the first China-Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be attended by leaders of 14 countries.
Another trip is to attend the summit of the China-Gulf Arab States Cooperation Council (GCC).
The Chinese delegation will sign dozens of agreements with Arab countries, including in the areas of energy, security and investment.
China has always maintained a high degree of strategic concern for the Middle East, but there has not been much room for intervention in the past few decades under the strict defense and exclusion of the United States.
This trip by Xi Jinping is very beneficial to China in terms of the overall situation.
Because the Biden administration implemented "strategic retrenchment" in its policy toward the Middle East, it hastily withdrew troops from Afghanistan, Syria and other countries, and failed to fulfill its original commitments; and turned its attention to the implementation of "strategic expansion" in the Indo-Pacific region, causing doubts and unease among U.S. friends in the Middle East.
Since the end of World War II, Saudi Arabia has been the most solid friend of the United States in the Middle East.
Since his arrival in Taiwan, Bayh has repeatedly condemned Saudi Arabia's human rights and other issues, and Saudi Arabia has been unwilling to cooperate with the United States and Europe to increase oil production and set an oil price ceiling.
For the United States and Europe, the reduction of oil production will increase oil prices, which will increase foreign exchange revenue for the oil major Russia, which is conducive to the war against Ukraine.
In addition, the United States is concerned that Saudi Arabia's oil trade with China will be paid in renminbi, thereby weakening the dollar.
The positions of both sides seem difficult to bridge in the short term.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed, in view of the importance of global warming, Saudi Arabia's single dependence on oil must change course, is to set "Vision 2030", ready to invest 500 billion US dollars (about S $679.3 billion) to develop the automotive industry, military research and circulation services market, and build a new future city (NEOM) in northwest Saudi Arabia, and cooperate with Huawei to build 5G network.
These are China's strong points, which will bring huge business opportunities to Chinese enterprises.
In the past 20 years, the economic, trade and investment relations between Saudi Arabia and China have been very close, with the total amount of Chinese investment in Saudi Arabia reaching 106.5 billion US dollars. In 2021, bilateral trade reached 87.3 billion US dollars, compared with 418 million US dollars in 1990.
Saudi Arabia exports 27 percent of its oil to China and 25 percent of its chemical products.
Saudi Arabia and 19 other Arab countries have also signed up as part of China ’ s Belt and Road strategy.
America ’ s influence on Saudi Arabia is growing weaker.
In recent years, China has attached great importance to the overall strategic layout of Muslim countries in the Middle East, and has held talks in different fields every year, including regular ministerial meetings.
On December 3 this year, the 18,000-word "Report on China-Arab Cooperation in the New Era" was published, clarifying the pattern of all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation with Arab countries, and jointly building a "China-Arab community with a shared future" facing the new era.
In addition, the China-led SCO has also extended from Central Asia to Middle East countries, adding Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as "dialogue partners", and Iran is also ready to join.
Ayham Kamel, Head of Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group Political Risk, said: “In Riyadh ’ s strategic calculations, it is important to work with Beijing because it is an inseparable economic partner. ”
From the perspective of the general trend in the Middle East, the United States is retreating, and China is forging ahead; the United States is lip service, and China is eating fast, gradually devouring the economic pie of the Middle East, and achieving the goal of weakening American power.
The goal of Xi Jinping ’ s trip to Riyadh is not only to win over Muslim countries, but also to achieve the purpose of splitting the relationship between the United States and Middle East countries.
As the title of the Financial Times report pointed out, Xi Jinping ’ s visit to Saudi Arabia was “standing on the toes of the United States ” and said nothing in pain.
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Economic reforms include incentives for foreign investors, with tax regulations and an improved business environment contributing to Saudi Arabia’s jump from 92nd to 62nd on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To attract foreign investment

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Government mandates favor Saudi citizen employment, while foreign companies benefit from simple tax procedures and regulations, including zakat.

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

Major cities like Riyadh and Jeddah support these economic transformations as business and trade hubs.

Despite ongoing challenges, Vision 2030’s reforms under MBS are reshaping Saudi Arabia’s legal, social, and economic frameworks, demonstrating a commitment to modernization.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?