Saudi Arabia’s representative to Taiwan, Mohammed S. Alghamdi, said yesterday that he is looking to continue strengthening bilateral relations, as his office celebrated his country’s National Day.
At a reception in Taipei to mark Saudi Arabia’s National Day, Alghamdi said the annual ceremony commemorates the unification of the Saudi kingdom 95 years ago.
Over the years, Riyadh and Taipei have built “a solid bridge of relations based on mutual cooperation and shared economic and cultural interests,” said Alghamdi, head of the Saudi Arabian Trade Office in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now the largest supplier of energy to Taiwan, and its top trading partner in the Middle East and Africa, he said.
In May 2023, the Taiwan Trade Center, Riyadh, was inaugurated at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, to further explore business and investment opportunities for both sides, he said.
He said his office will continue to work with officials and the relevant authorities in Riyadh and Taipei to strengthen cultural, commercial, investment and tourism opportunities.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said at the reception that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “stands as a symbol of tradition, culture, and prosperity in the region.”
“Today, we mark the founding of a nation that has played a pivotal role in the Middle East and has made significant global contributions, especially with respect to energy, religion, trade, and technology,” Wu said.
In 2024, Saudi Arabia was Taiwan’s 17th-largest global trading partner and its top regional trading partner, with two-way trade reaching US$9.4 billion, according to Wu.
Saudi Arabia has also been “a reliable and vital energy supplier to Taiwan,” accounting for nearly one-third of its crude oil imports, he said.
Taiwan is looking forward to deepening cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas such as technology, trade, investment, education and tourism for the benefit of both nations, Wu said.
Saudi Arabia’s National Day is celebrated annually on Sept. 23 to commemorate the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 through a royal decree by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
RSS