The Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) recently hosted a
roundtable meeting between Saudi and Japanese businesspeople, an event that
aimed to grow investment cooperation between the countries.
Chairperson of the Saudi side of the Saudi-Japanese Business
Council, Tariq Al Qahtani, delivered opening remarks at the meeting. He
noted that Japan is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trade
partner, with trade estimated at $57 billion in 2013.
Al Qahtani followed that up by
saying that Japan has always been of interest to the kingdom. He hopes
the countries can continue to incentivize cooperation in transferring
technology to training programs, exchanging SMEs expertise, joint ventures,
integrated industries based on advanced technologies and local content — comparative advantages that maximize value added to natural resources.
For his part, the executive vice president of the Japan External
Trade Organization (JETRO) assured the council that the growth between the two
countries comes from mutual respect. Saudi Arabia is Japan’s
leading oil exporter, while Japan is one of the major exporters of various
products important to the kingdom.
The representative mentioned that Saudi
Vision 2030, which showcases the kingdom’s national transformation
strategy for the 21st century, aligns with Japanese business needs.
