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AMMAN — Jordan seeks to draw a fair share of investments from China, which is expected to become the world's biggest overseas investor by the end of this decade, a senior official said. 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) President Montaser Oqlah described the volume of Chinese investments in the Kingdom as still below expectations, indicating that Jordan is pinning hopes on the 2nd China-Arab States Expo, which will be held in Yinchuan City September 10-13, to showcase to Chinese private and public institutions the investment opportunities available in the Kingdom. 

"We look at China as a priority to attract foreign direct investments," Oqlah said, adding that China is among the leading countries in investment outflows and that Jordan seeks a "fair" share of the investments. 

The China-Arab States Expo

On the participation of Jordan in the upcoming business event, the JIC chief said there would be an effective participation by Jordanian public and private sectors to boost economic cooperation between the two countries. 

Jordan has prepared two large pavilions at the exhibition, he said, explaining that an “iconic” one will be to provide cultural, social and economic information on the Kingdom, while the other is commercial and is dedicated for 41 Jordanian firms that will showcase their products. 

 “We are very optimistic about this participation as it will result in an increase in economic cooperation between Jordanian and Chinese firms,” he said, noting that the expo will also see three forums on Jordan. 

An economic Jordanian-Chinese forum will be organised , through which the two countries will sign a number of agreements in various fields. 

Another forum will be on tourism, led by the Jordan Tourism Board, to provide information on Jordan’s attractions and promote the Kingdom to Chinese holidaymakers in a bid  to attract the largest possible number of tourists. 

The third forum, Oqlah said, will be on investment as the commission will outline to the Chinese private and public sectors the investment opportunities available and why to invest in Jordan. 

New approach 

The official said a new investment approach will be launched next year based on  targeted promotions. 

Its main pillar, he explained, is that when an investment priority is identified, it would be promoted among investors in the same field, adding that each area in Jordan has a relative advantage for business and would be promoted accordingly. 

For example, Maan is the best home for solar energy projects; Irbid is distinguished for its medical care and information technology capabilities, in addition to real estate; Ajloun for tourism; and Mafraq for renewable energy and medium and heavy industries. 

“We will promote these opportunities by targeting specific investors who are most likely to find these businesses lucrative,” he added. 

The strategy also entails offering tax incentives to investors who carry out projects in the targeted areas, he said, indicating the new approach will be finalised by the end of this year.        

Investment window

The commission is currently working on increasing the efficiency of its one-stop-shop investment window to further encourage incoming projects in Jordan by finalising investment proposals in the shortest time. 

“The window has a pivotal and fundamental role in minimising red tape and additional cost due to delays in processing paperwork. There are serious government efforts to make investment-related procedures in Jordan faster and more efficient,” Oqlah said. 

The window is supposed to either issue approvals and permits for investment projects, or by facilitating these with concerned public agencies, he added, explaining that it currently has 13 commissioners from various public agencies, 10 of whom have the authority to issue permits on the spot, while permits and approvals of the remaining three bodies (the Greater Amman Municipality and the ministries of municipalities and health) are issued by legal and technical committees.
The JIC is currently working on finding a method to enable these representatives to work as a link between the window and the committees by personally presenting the case to the concerned panels and getting back to the investor immediately.

“The long-term solution to this is working with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to amend the Cities and Villages Law in order to authorise representatives of the ministry and GAM at the investment window to issue approvals and permits for investment projects that meet the standards.” 

He expected the law to be amended by the first half of 2016, adding that the window, which currently handles up to 40 per cent of paperwork of investment projects, to fully operate in the second half of 2016

Regional turmoil

Asked if Jordan has succeeded in promoting itself as a safe and stable destination for investments in a troubled region, the JIC chief said  things could have been done better. 

He said that Jordan “maximised the cost of the regional situation and minimised the benefits”. 

“We maximised costs by opening our doors for large numbers of refugees with a  heavy price, as the international community is undertaking only 30 per cent of the cost. On the other hand, we minimised the benefits by adopting very strict security measures when it comes to legalising the presence and the residency of Syrian and Iraqi investors in Jordan, which has prompted many of them to leave the country. 

“I’m not saying what security agencies did was wrong. We were in a dilemma because our security is our biggest asset,” Oqlah said.  

 Security forces are now maintaining the delicate balance between security concerns and facilitating procedures for Syrian and Iraqi investors.

“Now we are getting a better share of the investments from these businesspeople,” he said, noting that many investors who left the Kingdom have returned to do businesses. 

AMMAN — Jordan’s resources are stretched to the limit and cannot continue providing humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees at the same pace without international assistance, according to Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury. 

At a meeting last Thursday with British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood, Fakhoury highlighted the heavy toll brought on by the refugee crisis on the economy, stressing the need for the international community to provide direct support to the government.

Without international support, the Kingdom will not be able to sustain its assistance to refugees without risking regression in development gains after decades of hard work, the minister added.

He said the refugee crisis has had an impact on Jordan’s infrastructure, education, health, water and other sectors. 

The most affected host communities are in the northern and central regions, where unemployment and poverty rates increased as well as housing rent fees, the minister noted. 

But these challenges will not stop the government from moving ahead with its development and reform programmes, Fakhoury said.

He said the 2015 Jordan Response Plan to the crisis was prepared by Jordan and the international community with a budget of $2.9 billion to finance top priority projects for 11 sectors, including health, education, energy and water. 

The plan is currently funded by only 34.5 per cent, Fakhoury stressed, noting that two-thirds still need funding. 

If international support is not provided, the negative effects will not only include the Middle East but also extend to European countries and the whole world, according to the minister.

He said the support offered by the United Kingdom to the response plan stands at around $86 million, $41.3 million of which has been designated to serve projects for host communities whereas the rest were designated to support projects for refugees.

Ellwood commended Jordan’s role in receiving and assisting refugees, stressing the need for the international community to continue supporting the Kingdom.

Discussions also covered bilateral ties and Jordan’s reform process.

AMMAN — The Quartet on the Middle East will convene in New York on September 30, with the participation of foreign ministers of Arab countries, including Jordan, according to a UN statement.  

The statement said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will host the Quartet in New York on September 30, adding that he had sent invitation letters to the foreign ministers of Russia, the United States, and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

UN secretary general invited Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby, besides the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the meeting, as well.  

The Quartet, aiming to mediate the peace process in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, was established in 2002.

AMMAN — Jordanian social media users on Saturday highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts in hosting Syrian refugees, at a time when wealthier countries in the West are turning many away.

Outraged by the frequent drowning of refugees on their way to cross the Mediterranean to Europe to seek asylum, Facebook and Twitter users from Jordan condemned the world’s inaction over the crisis in Syria.

The social media outpouring came after the photo of a drowned Syrian child washed up on the Turkish shores went viral.

The boy was with his family on a boat that capsized on the way to Europe.

“The suffering is on the rise. What is the international community waiting for? A solution should be reached to end this crisis,” Salame (@sal-167jo) tweeted over the weekend.

Highlighting Jordan’s efforts in hosting over 1.4 million Syrians, several users said many countries in the region, including Jordan, have provided a safe haven for Syrian refugees fleeing the violence in their country amidst declining aid by international agencies and ineffective political action to end the crisis.

Thamer Abadi (@Elsharayaa) highlighted Jordan’s continued support for Syrian refugees since the start of the crisis in 2011.

Other tweeps posted pictures of Jordanian soldiers as they receive Syrian families and children crossing into the Kingdom, calling for increased aid for countries hosting refugees.

Many users also slammed EU states for imposing restrictions on entry of Syrian refugees, saying the number of Syrians they receive is not enough.

“The entire West received about 180,000 Syrian refugees only. Mafraq city in Jordan received about 110,000 Syrian refugees,” Lahib Bani Sakhar (@lahibbanisakhar) tweeted Saturday.

Mureed Hammad (@Mureed Hammad) had similar views.

“Jordan hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees out of 4 million refugees who left their state. Those in Europe who are cheerful and complaining at the same time for receiving a few thousand refugees should be fair to Jordan,” he tweeted.

Some users slammed Western media coverage of the issue of Syrian refugees, saying when a European country takes a few Syrian refugees the news makes headlines for days, while Jordan has been receiving refugees since 2011 and this is not fairly highlighted.

Mahmoud Salem (@Mahmoud23) said the number of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon is 50 times greater than those in the EU. 

In a tweet last week, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh (@NasserJudeh) also commented on the child’s drowning and shared a photo of a Jordanian army officer carrying an infant.

“May God have mercy on the martyred child and restore the dignity of the Syrian people. We hold our head high as Jordanians for committing to our principles,” he tweeted.

A recent report by Statista, a Germany-based statistics portal, said Jordan has the second largest number of refugees per capita after Lebanon, with the ratio of refugees standing at 87 per 1,000 per capita.

In Lebanon, there are an estimated 1.15 million refugees, equating to 232 per 1,000 inhabitants, the report said.

Turkey hosts 21 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants, while Sweden hosts 15 refugees per 1,000 per capita.

But Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in total, with 1.59 million.

By the end of 2014, 59.5 million people were forcibly displaced, compared to 51.2 million a year earlier, the Statista report said.

AMMAN — HH Prince Zeid has been announced as the recipient of the 2015 Stockholm Human Rights Award in recognition of his work in the pursuit of advancing international justice and for strengthening respect for human rights. 

Prince Zeid, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, will receive the award — conferred annually by the Swedish Bar Association, the International Bar Association and the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) — at a ceremony on November 24 in Stockholm, Sweden, according to a statement on the ILAC website.

Unanimously elected to the position of UN high commissioner for human rights, Prince Zeid “has a robust track record” on accountability for grave crimes; fighting against sexual and gender-based violence; and condemning and leading investigations into abuses allegedly committed by UN peacekeeping personnel and insisting on a zero-tolerance policy for such offences, the statement said.

“He is an avid advocate in the fight against impunity, and was a key figure in the establishment of the International Criminal Court.” 

His career also includes work for the UN in the former Yugoslavia, after which he helped ensure the issuance of a report documenting the causes of the genocide in Srebrenica.

Prince Zeid served as Jordan’s deputy permanent representative, and then permanent representative, at the UN from 1996 to 2007. 

Then for three years, he was Jordan’s ambassador to the United States of America, before returning to the UN in 2010 as Jordan’s permanent representative.

“As the first UN High Commissioner from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, many MENA coalition members agree that his appointment signalled the international community’s commitment to the defence of human rights in the Arab world,” the statement said. 

“With tensions escalating in many parts of the MENA region, the challenges he has faced, and continues to face, in addressing injustice and human rights violations are significant,” it added.

The Stockholm Human Rights Award was established in 2009 and is awarded annually to a person or an organisation for outstanding services in the support of human rights and the rule of law.

AMMAN — Recognising that the secret of Japan’s success and remarkable development lies in its labour ethics, morale and management capability, Malaysia sought to have its students learn from these practices firsthand, according to former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

The programme “Looking East” consisted of sending Malaysian students to Japanese universities to learn Japanese work ethics and technology, and of inviting Japanese professors and trainers to Malaysia to educate Malaysian trainees and businessmen, Mahathir said at a lecture on Thursday.

Both Japanese and Malaysian governments sponsored these projects.

“We wanted to change the mentality of our entrepreneurs who were more laid back in the beginning to more disciplined, efficient and ethical businessmen,” he said.

In a lecture titled “The Rise of a Nation” at the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, attended by HRH Prince Hassan, the former prime minister briefly presented how a rural and mining Malaysia gradually became industrialised and turned into one of Asia’s major economies.

Mahathir, who has been politically and socially active for seven decades, said he and other Malaysian leaders benefited from the experience of Japan and South Korea.

Instead of copying European countries which had a long history of revolutions and civil strife because of disparities in income, Malaysia sought inspiration in Far Eastern societies.

“It wasn’t easy to change the mentality of our people but we succeeded,” he remembered.

Malaysia has three major ethnic and religious communities — Malays, Chinese and Indians, he said.

“Malays were 60 per cent of the population but poor, while the wealth was concentrated in hands of the third generation of Chinese immigrants,” he added.

The idea of Malaysian founding fathers after the country gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957 was to create the atmosphere of cooperation, mutual respect and trust between the three main communities.

“We decided that Malays, Indians and Chinese should share the country politically and economically,” Mahathir stressed, “it was a momentous decision by the fist prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.”

Many pundits did not predict the success of Malaysia’s political and business experiment, but after political balance was established between parties and coalitions representing all groups within society, the focus turned towards the industrialisation of the country.

One of the first steps Malaysian leadership took was to hand over 10 acres of land to landless peasants, reducing the number of unemployed people.

“We invited foreigners to invest in Malaysia and their businesses were 10 years tax free,” Mahathir said.

These measures created wealth and each group “received their share of the cake”, the statesman explained.

Malaysia invested in higher education once society acquired the wealth, he said. 

Malaysian students study in almost every country of the world. “In Jordan itself we have 3,000 students,” Mahathir said, adding that “knowledge is the key for social mobility.”

“Our long-term goal is to have Malaysia fully industrialised in 30 years,” the statesman concluded.

AMMAN — Korea has presented a $300,000 grant to the National Committee for De-mining and Rehabilitation (NCDR) as a contribution to fund the project of searching for lost mines in the Jordan Valley, according to a statement released Saturday.

The grant is in response to a donor meeting held at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in May to discuss the NCDR’s future plans and projects.

The grant was presented by Korean Ambassador to Jordan Choi Hong-ghi, in the presence of HH Prince Mired; NCDR chairman and the special envoy of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction; and Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury, said the statement, released by the ministry.  

Prince Mired expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Korean government for its quick response to the Jordanian call for support to enable the NCDR to complete its tasks of exploring and searching for mines in the Jordan Valley.

He added that this grant will contribute to safeguarding the lives of citizens in targeted areas, which is part of the NCDR’s goals to eliminate the risks of mines and explosive remnants of war, and enable the rehabilitation of agricultural lands there.

For his part, Fakhoury also expressed thanks and appreciation to the government and people of Korea for their continued support of Jordan.

“The two sides eagerly seek to enhance their links by developing cooperation mechanisms in a number of fields of mutual interest at the various political, social and economic levels,” he said.

The Korean ambassador stressed the deep relations between the two countries in all fields, saying his government is committed to continuing financial and technical support programmes.

AMMAN — The Education Ministry has decided not to recognise non-Jordanian high school degrees that are issued by schools and not through a unified national exam as of next year.

According to a statement received by The Jordan Times, the decision is meant to improve the quality of education as students in some countries are granted their high school certificates through schools.

In Jordan, the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) is prepared by the Education Ministry, making it a national exam that tests students’ abilities and qualifies them to enrol in universities.

The new decision also entails that the high school certificates of Jordanians, including those who hold dual nationalities, will not be equalised if they obtain them from Arab schools located outside their country of origin.

Minister of Higher Education Labib Khadra noted that the decision will have a huge impact on the number of Arab students enrolled in Jordanian universities.

“The decision was solely taken by the Education Ministry, but it will not go into effect before next year. We will definitely cooperate to apply the new regulations in the best way possible,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

AMMAN — With the conclusion of the Made in Jordan Festival on Saturday, some participating artists and vendors criticised its “weak marketing” while others commended the initiative as a positive first attempt.

Held at Expo Land on the airport road, the festival featured products by Jordanian companies and handicraft artists, and books by local authors from across the Kingdom.

Some handicraft vendors and artists interviewed by The Jordan Times said the festival lacked the elements of success.

Linda Khoury, a Jordanian photographer and founder of Darat Al Tasweer, said such an event requires good marketing.

“It means that you need to promote the artist or the handicraft vendor before you promote his product. We had 10 days and we were promised that a great number of people would attend the festival’s activities. Maybe these people came, but they did not visit our section,” she said.

Khoury had displayed a number of photos taken by aspiring Jordanian photographers at a section called “Art Network”; however, she said the section was “deserted”.

“We did not see any banners or marketing this section on the streets. For example, they could have set up a map to lead people to the various venues of the festival,” she added.

But Shadi Shomari, a vendor at the art section, disagreed with Khoury, adding that art might not be among visitors’ priorities.

“The festival was a good idea and it is good to bring together all local artists and talents at one venue. It had activities that catered to all tastes and ages. I don’t think the issue was lack of marketing; it is that people maybe don’t pay attention to art,” he added.

Shomari said people are not willing to pay a lot of money for a painting. 

“But they are ready to pay the same amount of money for a piece of furniture,” he added.

Mahmoud Halhouli, a handicraft vendor, echoed Khoury’s sentiment, adding that organisers should have paid more attention to marketing.

“The location of the festival was far for people who don’t have cars,” he added, noting that the area where handmade products were sold was not the best choice.

“When visitors first arrive at festival, they enter a huge tent that hosts the Jordanian companies and they have their fill of the event. Later, they head to a restaurants and then leave without stopping anywhere beyond that,” Halhouli said.

But Majida Abu Zaghlan, another handicraft artist, disagreed.

“I think that the location of the festival is really nice because it is far from Amman and its traffic jams.” 

Abu Zaghlan said the festival was impressive for a first attempt. “I think next year it will be successful because organisers can learn from their mistakes and make it better.”

“I did not see any problem in marketing. I saw billboards in Amman promoting the festival and there were plenty of radio commercials about it,” she added.

AMMAN — Police on Saturday announced the arrest of a group of parents who on Thursday allegedly stormed a school in the capital over a fight there between children, official sources said.

All parties involved in the incident where apprehended and referred to the prosecutor for questioning, a senior official source said.

The fight started between children at the school on Thursday and led to their parents storming the school and engaging in a brawl, the source told The Jordan Times.

No one was injured in the incident and no property was damaged, the official added.

“It was a minor incident but nevertheless we summoned everyone involved for questioning,” he explained.

A second official told The Jordan Times that the “two parties dropped charges against each other in front of the prosecutor.”

But the second official was quick to add that “charges could be levelled against them for storming into the educational establishment.”

“All involved parties will be referred to court on Sunday and it is up to the judge to decide their fate,” he added.

The Jordan Teachers Association (JTA) said in a statement released last week that a group of people came in a bus to a boys’ school in the Khreibet Al Souk area and beat teachers and caused damage to their cars.

The alleged assailants were angry because teachers separated two groups of students that engaged in a brawl and sent a student accused of attacking his classmates to the principal’s office, the JTA said.

According to association figures, a total of 39 assaults on teachers were recorded during the first half of 2015, with 10 per cent of the cases referred to court, while the rest were resolved through reconciliation.

The JTA report on assault cases during the January-June period, released recently, said that in the same period of 2014 only 25 cases were recorded.