Saudi Arabia Mobilizes Private Sector for Meetings with US Companies During Trump Visit

The Saudi-American Business Forum meets at the Federation of Saudi Chambers last year. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi-American Business Forum meets at the Federation of Saudi Chambers last year. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Mobilizes Private Sector for Meetings with US Companies During Trump Visit

The Saudi-American Business Forum meets at the Federation of Saudi Chambers last year. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi-American Business Forum meets at the Federation of Saudi Chambers last year. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia is mobilizing its private sector to engage directly with the high-level American business delegation that will be accompanying US President Donald Trump as he visits the Kingdom on Tuesday.

Trump’s Gulf tour, which begins in Saudi Arabia before moving on to the UAE and Qatar, is expected to focus heavily on economic issues.

Top executives from leading US firms will join the president, with a number of significant agreements covering several sectors expected to be inked. Among the prominent names set to attend are BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Blackstone Chairman Stephen Schwarzman, and Google/Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat.

The executives will take part in the US-Saudi Investment Forum, which will be held in Riyadh on the day of Trump’s arrival. According to sources, the Saudi Investment Promotion Authority is coordinating closely with domestic private sector firms to ensure strong participation and to prepare for bilateral meetings between Saudi and US companies.

The forum will spotlight cross-sector investment opportunities and partnerships between the two countries, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s intent to position itself as a key global investment hub. Trump, in recent remarks, praised the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund and hinted that the US is considering launching its own.

On Tuesday, he teased “major announcements” ahead of his visit during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Saudi Arabia is aiming to expand its commercial and investment ties with the United States by $600 billion over the next four years. In a recent phone call, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman highlighted the potential benefits of Trump’s proposed economic reforms and expressed interest in leveraging them to drive mutual growth.

The Kingdom is also seeking closer cooperation with Washington on global challenges, including slowdowns in international economic growth.

While Saudi-US relations have long been anchored by decades of strategic partnership, Saudi officials say Vision 2030 has further integrated the Kingdom into the global economy, allowing it to play a more influential and proactive role in shaping regional and global prosperity.



Indonesia, Singapore Sign Deals on Power Trade, Carbon Capture 

Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia speaks to the media during a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP) 
Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia speaks to the media during a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP) 
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Indonesia, Singapore Sign Deals on Power Trade, Carbon Capture 

Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia speaks to the media during a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP) 
Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia speaks to the media during a press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP) 

Indonesia and Singapore signed initial deals on Friday to develop cross-border trade in low carbon electricity and collaborate on carbon capture and storage, ministers from both countries said in Jakarta.

The electricity deal reaffirmed an earlier agreement to export solar power from Indonesia to Singapore, with a group of companies planning to build plants and grid infrastructure to generate and transmit the power.

The memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries says they will aim to draw up policies, regulatory frameworks and business arrangements that will enable Indonesian power to be delivered to Singapore.

Indonesia expects to export 3.4 gigawatts of low-carbon power by 2035, according to a presentation slide shown by Indonesia's energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia.

In another MoU, the two countries said they would look into drawing up a legally binding agreement for carbon capture and storage that would allow cross-border projects to go ahead.

If successful, it will be the first such project in Asia, said Singapore government minister Tan See Leng.

Energy firms BP, ExxonMobil, and Indonesia's state company Pertamina are already developing CCS projects in Indonesia.

With its depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers capable of storing hundreds of gigatons of CO2, Indonesia has allowed CCS operators to set aside 30% of their storage capacity for carbon captured in other countries.

The two countries also signed a deal for the development of sustainable industrial zones on several Indonesian islands near Singapore, including Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

Bahlil said the deals could bring in more than $10 billion of investment from the manufacturing of solar panels, the development of CCS projects and potential investment in industrial estates.