Attendance at 25th WPC Energy Congress in Saudi down after Houthi attacks

The 25th World Petroleum Council (WPC) Energy Congress underway in Riyadh has been disrupted by Houthi attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport, prompting several major international energy giants to withdraw their representatives from in-person attendance.

The major, five-day global petroleum industry gathering opened Sunday in Riyadh, bringing together energy executives and government officials from around the world at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center, some 10 kilometers from King Khalid International Airport.

However, continuous Houthi strikes on the airport and widespread disruptions to international flights forced many participants to alter their travel plans. Senior executives from ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell and BP canceled their plans to attend the event.

Many attendees at the congress venue also avoided discussing the strikes on Riyadh, viewing the topic as overly sensitive.

"About this attack and all the things, I cannot say many much things because I have been here for a month for this event. So I don't know anything about this. I cannot tell you," said a participant.

Beyond the high-profile international gathering, Saudi tourism has also borne the brunt of heightened tensions. Diriyah, one of Riyadh's most prominent tourist landmarks, has seen a marked drop in visitor numbers, particularly international tourists, compared with normal levels.

Growing its international tourism sector has been one of Saudi Arabia's key economic priorities in recent years, but repeated Houthi attacks are disrupting the tourism industry and other commercial activities in the country.

Attendance at 25th WPC Energy Congress in Saudi down after Houthi attacks

China's outstanding aggregate financing to the real economy stood at 468.17 trillion yuan (about 69.96 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of August, maintaining a reasonable growth rate of 7.1 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Wednesday.

M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, had increased by 7.2 percent year on year to 359.63 trillion yuan by the end of last month, according to the People's Bank of China (PBOC).

The growth rates of both aggregates align with the projected targets for economic growth and general price levels, indicating reasonable growth in the total volume of finance and supporting the economy's sustained development toward new, better, and more positive outcomes, according to the PBOC.

In the first three quarters, combined financing from bonds and stocks accounted for 49.5 percent of the total increase in aggregate financing to the real economy, surpassing the share of loans by nearly 7 percentage points, reflecting accelerated bond and equity financing and increasingly diversified financing channels.

During the same period, RMB loans increased by 11.52 trillion yuan, with funds increasingly flowing into technological innovation, green development, and micro, small, and medium enterprises.

China’s aggregate financial volume sees reasonable growth in September: central bank