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RIYADH: ����ֱ��’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim met with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung in Riyadh for talks, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ninth Future Investment Initiative conference, which runs until Oct. 30.

The officials discussed ways to enhance economic, commercial, and investment cooperation, including in agriculture, infrastructure, technology, and energy.

In a separate meeting, Alibrahim held talks with International Finance Corp. Managing Director Makhtar Diop on the latest economic and financial developments in the Kingdom.

Alibrahim also met with World Economic Forum President and CEO Borge Brende to discuss ongoing collaboration, and recent global economic developments.

RIYADH: As ����ֱ�� moves toward its goal of increasing electric vehicle adoption, efforts are underway to build a fully localized EV charging network.

Smart Mobility, a joint venture between China’s Foxconn Interconnect Technology and ����ֱ��’s Saleh Suleiman Al-Rajhi and Sons, is one of the companies working in the Kingdom’s emerging EV ecosystem.

Speaking to Arab News at the EV Auto Show Riyadh 2025, which has Arab News as a media partner, Ben Jia, vice president of sales at Smart Mobility, outlined the company’s mission to build the country’s first fully localized EV charging network — from hardware and software to manufacturing.

“Our mission is to bring our experience from China and Europe to establish a Saudi-based charging manufacturer,” Jia said.

“We want to create solutions designed for Saudi heat, Saudi users and Saudi roads. This market has unique challenges, and we are engineering around them.”

At the EV Auto Show, Smart Mobility signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with Al-Bassami Transport Group, one of ����ֱ��’s leading logistics operators.

The agreement marks a major milestone in the Kingdom’s commercial fleet electrification efforts, starting with a pilot installation of chargers at Al-Bassami’s headquarters, followed by assessments across its logistics hubs.

“Fleet electrification is the fastest path to EV adoption in ����ֱ��,” Jia said. “By working with logistics leaders like Al-Bassami, we can prove that electric transport isn’t just sustainable — it’s commercially viable. Once the model works for logistics, it can expand to other sectors.”

The company’s next major milestone will be the unveiling of its “Saudi Made” EV charger factory design before the end of 2025, paving the way for the first Foxconn EV charging equipment factory in the Middle East.

“We’ve already started shipping chargers from Taiwan and China, but soon we’ll be making them right here in ����ֱ��,” Jia said. “It’s about building capability, not just importing technology.”

Beyond hardware, Smart Mobility is also developing charging software tested specifically for Saudi conditions.

Its Charging Point Management System, scheduled for commercial release in early 2026, has undergone six months of local field testing.

“What works in Europe doesn’t always work here,” Jia said. “Our testing phase taught us the importance of localizing everything — from Arabic interfaces to payment systems. Saudi users deserve technology built for them.”

With a decade of experience in China’s fast-moving clean energy industry, Jia brings a global perspective on localization.

“In China, we built scale through data and accessibility,” he said. “But ����ֱ�� has different needs — it’s about heat resistance, grid readiness and long-distance reliability. What worked in China won’t work here, and that’s why local development is essential.”

As the Kingdom moves closer to its ambitious clean mobility goals, Smart Mobility’s strategy represents a shift from importing EV technology to creating it within Saudi borders.