Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Foreign Trade said Saudi commercial attachés contributed to creating 2.221 export opportunities and secured 393 new investment opportunities, underscoring efforts to expand the Kingdom’s global economic footprint.
The gains came alongside measures to protect domestic industry, including four anti-dumping investigations and five decisions imposing protective duties on imports to ensure fair competition and support Saudi exports abroad.
Established in 2019 as an independent authority, the body is tasked with advancing Saudi trade interests internationally and supporting economic development under Vision 2030.
According to a recent authority report seen by Asharq Al-Awsat, the agency held 25 meetings of its main negotiating team involving Saudi government entities, 75 meetings of related subcommittees and 149 meetings of Gulf technical negotiating teams. It also conducted seven rounds of negotiations between Gulf Cooperation Council states and trade partners.
International Partnerships
The authority carried out 38 overseas visits, participated in or prepared for 39 international forums and conferences, and held 305 technical meetings with domestic and foreign entities.
It launched four anti-dumping investigations into imports, prepared 182 economic reports to support companies and took part in seven international investigations to defend Saudi exports. It also issued five anti-dumping duty decisions covering imports of several products.
The report said the authority continued negotiations with a number of countries to support non-oil exports - goods and services - by securing preferential access to global markets, encouraging and protecting investment, strengthening supply chains and advancing free trade agreements with major economies and blocs.
Diversification Push
The authority said the efforts align with Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position in global trade, adding that it was pressing ahead with trade policies aimed at widening the reach of Saudi exports and opening new markets, reinforcing the Kingdom’s ambition to position itself as a global trade hub.
The authority also said it was working with public and private sector partners to develop a more flexible and competitive external trade system while adopting international best practices in trade regulation.
The efforts form part of broader plans to boost the competitiveness of Saudi exports, improve efficiency and build a sustainable, diversified economy in line with the Kingdom’s foreign trade ambitions.
