Qatari Businessmen Association Chairman, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani; Charge’dáffaires ad interim of the People’s Republic of China in Qatar, Chen Yue with dignitaries and officials during the China (Guangdong) – Qatar Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar and China have witnessed significant growth in trade during the last decade. The volume of trade with China is about QR97bn in 2022 as Qatar exported QR75bn to the Chinese market and an amount of QR22bn was imported, equivalent to 16 percent of Qatar’s trade volume abroad, which confirms the growth of bilateral relations and the doubling of the trade volume during the last decade, said, Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, yesterday.
QBA organised the China (Guangdong) – Qatar Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum yesterday in the presence of more than 60 Chinese companies from the Guangdong Industrial Province, representing various sectors and more than 70 local companies in addition to the members of the Qatari Businessmen Association.
Addressing the event, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani said that the forum represents an opportunity to discuss joint investment and trade in both countries, noting that China is considered one of the most important trading partners to Qatar in recent years, and this is due to the will and desire of the leadership of the two countries.
QBA Chairman pointed out that Qatar and Guangdong Province share many goals to attract investments and develop trade, calling on Chinese companies to exploit the great opportunities that Qatar offers to foreign investors by providing ready-made economic zones and tax concessions that are among the best in the world, in addition to storage areas for re-export near Hamad Port, especially with the large market currently available in the region.
“We, as a business community, welcome all potential partnerships with Chinese businessmen and Chinese companies in the different sectors, and here comes the role of the Qatari Businessmen Association in finding effective trade partners and investors in both countries,” he added.
For his part, Chen Yue, the Charge’dáffaires ad interim of the People’s Republic of China in Qatar, said: The past decade witnessed the rapid development of Qatari Chinese relations. Over the past ten years, bilateral relations have tackled a golden phase of significant development thanks to the strategic leadership of Qatar and China. He stressed that the mutual political trust between the two countries deepened, both leaders met four times to lay the foundations for Qatari Chinese relations in the new era.
He also confirmed that practical cooperation between the two countries has developed as the volume of trade exchanges has increased to approaching $25bn and China has become Qatar’s largest trading partner, the largest source of imports, and a destination for exports.
Yue pointed out that the Arab-Chinese strategic partnership relations have achieved continuous progress, as cooperation in the “Belt and Road” initiative has risen to new levels, making China the most important among the trading partners of the Arab countries.
