During his participation in the forum, Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber, Sameer Nass, emphasized the significance of the 35-year bilateral relations between Bahrain and China, highlighting that the non-oil trade volume between both countries reached approximately 2.186 billion US dollars in 2023, with Bahrain importing 2.15 billion US dollars from China, making China Bahrain's largest trade partner. Nass expressed that this visit is an opportunity to explore trade and investment prospects that will benefit the economies of Bahrain and China, noting the importance of interacting with their Chinese counterparts in promising sectors that can foster Bahrain’s economic growth.
Nass also highlighted Bahrain’s promising market for Chinese investments in infrastructure, fintech and artificial intelligence, due to its important economic position in the Gulf region. He emphasized the ongoing negotiations between the GCC countries and China for a free trade agreement, highlighting the potential to boost trade relations. With China being the primary trading partner of the GCC countries, Nass urged for stronger industrial and investment collaboration to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the development plans of the GCC.
For his part, Second Vice Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber Mohammed Al-Koheji stressed the need to seize opportunities to increase the volume of trade between Bahrain and China, noting the opportunities in promising sectors such as renewable energy, tourism, and IT.
For his part, treasurer of the Bahrain Chamber, Aaref Hejres, Hailed the bilateral relations between Bahrain and China, noting their pivotal role in fostering investments and partnerships. He stressed the importance of developing joint Bahraini-Chinese economic relations in various fields. He also highlighted the substantial advancements expected in Gulf-China trade relations, particularly in logistics, technology, as evidenced by the discussions at the forum.