In the push to embrace emerging technologies and harness their potential commercial opportunities, Gulf countries are launching new initiatives to bolster their domestic space industries. In June Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers approved the transformation of the Saudi Space Commission, which was launched in 2018, into a full government agency …
Read More »Oil Inches up after China Moves to Support Flagging Economy
Oil prices ticked higher on Monday (Aug 28) after China took steps to support its flagging economy, though investors remained worried about the pace of growth as well as further US interest rate hikes that could dampen fuel demand. Brent crude rose 19 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to US$84.67 …
Read More »Sinopec Profits Shrink as Economic Woes Weigh on Fuel Demand
Sinopec’s first-half profits shrank amid lower oil prices and fuel demand being weighed down by China’s sluggish economic recovery. China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., as it’s officially known, posted net income of 36.12 billion yuan ($4.96 billion), according to international financial reporting standards. That compared with a revised 44.8 billion …
Read More »Saudi Aramco Looks to Expand Downstream Business in China
Saudi Aramco looks to further bolster its downstream presence in the world’s top crude oil importer, China, the oil giant’s Downstream President, Mohammed Al Qahtani, has said. “China is strategically important to our business growth in Asia and worldwide, and we will remain a reliable source of long-term oil supply,” …
Read More »China And U.S. Lock Horns Over New 122.5% Steel Tariff
The U.S. Department of Commerce recently decided to enforce preliminary anti-dumping duties on imports of tin mill and tin plate steel from China at a duty rate of 122.5%. As this is the highest preliminary rate, the move provoked severe criticism from trade analysts and experts across China. This tariff …
Read More »China Bans Seafood from Japan after Fukushima Nuclear Plant Begins Wastewater Release
The tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s operator says it began releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday — a controversial step that prompted China to ban seafood from Japan. In a live video from a control room at the plant, Tokyo Electric …
Read More »China Emerges as a Global LNG Trading Power
China is expanding its presence in the global LNG trading world, with Chinese traders setting up new or expanding their trading desks in Singapore and London, Reuters writes. This would put China in direct competition with LNG trade leaders including Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, and Equinor, the report pointed out. The …
Read More »China LNG Buyers Expand Trading after Adding more US, Qatari Contracts
China’s liquefied natural (LNG) gas importers are starting up or expanding trading desks in London and Singapore to better manage their growing and diversified supply portfolios in an increasingly volatile global market. The beefed-up trading presence of Chinese importers puts them in direct competition with such global heavyweights as Shell, …
Read More »Russia Remains China’s Top Crude Supplier in July despite Narrower Discounts
Russia remained China’s largest crude supplier in July, Chinese government data showed on Sunday, even as Russian shipments fall from all-time highs on narrower discounts and rising domestic demand crimps Russian exports. Arrivals from Russia were up 13% from the same month last year to 8.06 million metric tons in …
Read More »China’s Manufacturing Slowdown Hits Global Copper Prices
In the first half of 2023, China’s intake of refined copper saw the biggest drop in four years. The news underscores the current deceleration of the nation’s manufacturing sphere. China is one of the world’s largest buyers of refined copper. Still, it seems the country’s appetite for imports is waning. …
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