Saudi Arabia

To set up 153 Cultural Houses across the Kingdom by 2030, Saudi Arabia wants to foster creativity and dialogue in pursuit of its vision for a knowledge-based society.

The Kingdom wants to become a global logistics hub bridging three continents, so it is upgrading and expanding its ports on both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

Once considered a niche pastime, electronic sports (eSports) is now a multibillion-dollar global industry, drawing millions of viewers and professional players. Competitive video gaming now fills…

Rather than exporting additional crude, it is now refining it at home, highlighting a policy shift to value-added products over raw commodity exports

The drive for shared prosperity is dependent on security, which is why the Trump administration has made this the main focus of ties

A string of deals ranging from defence to technology were signed in Riyadh worth at least $300bn, including the "largest military sales contract in history"

A high-powered delegation will accompany him on his first official foreign trip of his second term as US president, reflecting a diverse agenda, spanning trade, defence and geopolitics

Ambitious targets are largely being met, with several areas exceeding expectations, but with foreign direct investment still less-than-hoped, there is still work to be done.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is investing heavily in the US, but its domestic spending is set to reach $70bn in the next five years, which means it will have to carefully weigh its priorities

Clarity in US Middle East policy will determine how—or if—this will take shape