Business
Saudi Aramco to invest billions in Chinese petrochemicals
Saudi Aramco engineers escort reporters on a tour of the Hawiyah Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Plant, which is designed to process 4.0 billion standard cubic feet per day of sweet gas, a natural gas that does not contain significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide, in Hawiyah, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2021. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco will invest billions of dollars in China’s downstream petrochemicals industry, including the construction of a new refinery, the company said in deals announced Sunday and Monday.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco will invest billions of dollars in China’s downstream petrochemicals industry, including the construction of a new refinery, the company said in deals announced Sunday and Monday.
The announcements came as the company posted a record profitof more than $160 billion in 2022 and as Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally, has developed closer ties with Beijing in recent years.
Aramco will acquire a 10% interest in China’s Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd,, a purchase valued at $3.6 billion. Under a long-term sales agreement, Aramco will supply 480,000 barrels per day to Rongsheng affiliate Zhejiang Pettroleum and Chemical Co. Ltd., which owns and operates China’s largest refining and chemicals complex.
“This announcement demonstrates Aramco’s long-term commitment to China and belief in the fundamentals of the Chinese petrochemicals sector,” Aramco executive vice president Mohammed Al Qahtani said in a statement. “It also promises to secure a reliable supply of essential crude to one of China’s most important refiners.”
On Sunday, Aramco announced plans to construct a new refinery and petrochemical complex in northeastern China through a joint venture. Aramco, which holds a 30% stake in the Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company, would supply 210,000 barrels per day of crude to the complex.
Saudi Arabia has cultivated closer ties with both Russia and China in recent years. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties for the first time since 2016 in a deal brokered by Beijing even as Riyadh announced a massive contract to buy commercial planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing.
The plan would authorize up to $380 million in incentives, mainly through state transferable tax credits and county bonds to help provide a new home for the Oakland Athletics. The state would forgo up to $180 million in transferable tax credits, with a cap at $36 million per year. The $120 million in county bonds would help with construction costs and be paid off gradually.
The proposal’s price tag and behind-the-scenes negotiations have sparked debate about public subsidies and equity in state economic development efforts.
State lawmakers also are considering billions of dollars in tax credits to bring major film studios to Las Vegas. The governor’s office of economic development has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in tax abatements for Tesla in efforts to broaden Nevada’s tourism and gaming-based economy.
The stadium financing bill was introduced late Friday night after more than a month of speculation, as the A’s move away from Oakland appears increasingly imminent. As of Monday morning, it is already the most-commented on proposal this session with over 1,500 opinions — nearly three-quarters of which are in opposition.
Many proponents say that Las Vegas has an increasing capacity to support major league professional sports, and that bringing the Athletics to the Strip would add sustainable jobs to an area hit especially hard by the pandemic. Opponents say the stadium is not worth hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to bring another large corporation on the Las Vegas Strip, especially as A’s management has switched proposed locations and drawn out negotiations for how much public assistance they are requesting.
The A’s have been looking for a home to replace the Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since 1968 after departing Kansas City. The team previously sought to build a stadium in California at Fremont, then San Jose, and finally the Oakland waterfront — ideas that never materialized.
The plan in the Nevada Legislature would not directly raise taxes, meaning it can move forward with a simple majority vote in the state Senate and Assembly.
Lawmakers have until June 5 to act on the proposal, when the four-month legislative session adjourns. Though it could potentially be reviewed later if a special session is called.
Until then, the plan faces an uncertain path. On Thursday, Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo follows through on threats to veto several Democratic-backed spending bills if his legislative priorities are not addressed.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is hinting that the Liberal government’s online news bill could help the public broadcaster less reliant on advertising dollars. Rodriguez leaves a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez is hinting that the Liberal government’s online news bill could help the national public broadcaster become less reliant on advertising dollars.
Rodriguez says he has begun reviewing CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate, including ways the government can provide more funds to the public broadcaster.
Rodriguez’s mandate letter from the prime minister says the goal in providing more money is to eliminate advertising during news and other public affairs shows.
During a House of Commons heritage committee meeting today, Rodriguez says the the CBC will financially benefit from passage of the online news act, also known as C-18.
The bill, being studied in the Senate, would require tech giants to pay Canadian media companies for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.
The parliamentary budget officer released a report last year that shows news businesses are expected to receive over $300 million annually from digital platforms when the online news bill becomes law.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2023.
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