TRADE-

New anti-dumping duties coming to longitudinally welded steel pipes from China, Taiwan: The General Authority of Foreign Trade (Gaft) imposed five-year anti-dumping duties on Chinese and Taiwanese longitudinally welded stainless steel pipes and tubes of circular cross-section, effective as of yesterday, according to a statement. Pipes arriving from China will be subject to tariffs ranging from 6.5% to 27.3% of CIF value, while those coming from Taiwan will face tariffs between 23.7% and 27.3%.

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IN CONTEXT- The decision follows an investigation launched in May 2024 by Gaft, following a complaint submitted by local manufacturers, state news agency SPA reports. The measure is compliant with the Law of Trade Remedies in International Trade to shield national industries against unfair trade.

TELECOMS-

Solutions to build SAR 157.6 mn private cloud with stc: Arabian Internet and Communications Services Company (solutions) signed a SAR 157.6 mn contract with its parent company Saudi Telecom Company (stc) to build a private cloud by 2Q 2025, according to a disclosure to Tadawul.

The details: The five-year contract is part of a larger partnership between both companies to modernize and hyperscale IT infrastructure — including upgrading IT systems linked to computing, storage, and databases — as well as renew Oracle software licenses.

REAL ESTATE-

Two plots sold at Masar Destination: Umm Al Qurafor Development and Construction sold a 2.4 sqm land plot to Watheeq Capital -managed Watheeq Retal Roya Al Haram Real Estate Fund for SAR 145.3 mn and a 2.7 sqm plot to Tomooh AlKhaleej Financial Company for SAR 264.9 mn, it said in disclosures to Tadawul (here and here). Both plots are located in the Masar Destination project.

What drives the sales? Umm Al Qura will allocate the proceeds of both transactions to finance working capital and ongoing projects, while Watheeq Retal Roya Al Haram and Tomooh AlKhaleej will use the plots to develop residential towers. Earlier this week, Umm Al Qura sold a 2.5 sqm plot within Masar Destination to Home Investment Fund for SAR 255.8 mn for the same purpose.

AVIATION-

Jeddah-Haikou route takes off: Chinese carrier Hainan Airlines saw its first flight between Haikou and Jeddah arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport yesterday, inaugurating a new route connecting Saudi Arabia and China, Asharq Al Awsat reports. The Chinese airline will operate the service three times a week, making the Jeddah airport the first in the Kingdom to offer direct flights to Haikou.

REMEMBER- The General Authority of Civil Aviation signed an MoU with the Civil Aviation Administration of China last year to expand the number of destinations between the Kingdom and China and drive air traffic growth, with Chinese carrier China Southern Airways launching a service connecting Riyadh and Beijing soon after.

RETAIL-

Abdullah Al OthaimMarkets signed a partnership agreement to offer groceries and household products online through AliExpress, the global marketplace for Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, according to a press release. The collaboration will also offer Riyadh customers the possibility to choose between store pickup or delivery.

CONSTRUCTION-

New Murabba + Naver explore smart city tech: PIF-backed New Murabba signed a three-year MoU with South Korean tech mogul Naver Cloud to test and potentially introduce smart city technologies — including robotics, automation, self-driving systems, and digital construction tools — to the New Murabba development in Riyadh, it said on LinkedIn yesterday.

ICYMI- Riyadh’s USD 50 bn New Murabba downtown project will use stc’s digital solutions for its communications and information technology infrastructure under a partnership agreement signed between them last year.

M&A WATCH-

Al Khaleej Training and Education scrapped its plans to acquire 80% of Adhwaa Al HedeyaSchools after the agreement expired yesterday without receiving approval from the Capital Markets Authority, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The expiration of the agreement came after the deadline was extended from the end of March.

ICYMI-The potential acquisition agreement got the greenlight from the General Authority for Competition in September last year.

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