Hong Kong--Non-oil foreign trade value between the UAE and Hong Kong expanded in the past year, reaching $16.2 billion in the first 11 months of 2023. According to Dr. Patrick Lau, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the United Arab Emirates has solidified its position...

Dubai, UAE--DMCC has kicked off the ninth edition of its global trade roadshow, Made For Trade Live, in London, seeking to attract a greater amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the United Kingdom. DMCC is the world’s flagship free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and...

The European Union unveiled plans to strengthen the bloc's economic security including measures to protect sensitive technology from falling into the hands of geopolitical rivals like China. Brussels has bolstered its armoury of trade restrictions to tackle what it deems to be risks to European economic security, following Russia’s invasion...

It has shrugged off geopolitical tensions to post high profits.

MANAMA, BAHRAIN - The Information eGovernment Authority (iGA) has published its foreign trade report of Bahrain for Q4 2023, covering trade balance, imports, exports of products with national origin, and re-exports. The value of imports has increased by 5 percent, reaching US$3.92 billion (BD1.476 billion) during Q4 2023 in comparison...

Dubai, UAE--The first edition of the Japan Kyoto Trade Exhibition 2024 is all set to kick off this Monday, 22nd January, at Dubai World Trade Centre. The three-day exhibition, jointly hosted by the governments of Kyoto, Japan, and the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai (DET), is expected to...

Sharjah, UAE--The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has held discussions with the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) to support business community and foster trade and investment between the two entities. The discussions took place at the chamber's headquarters, where Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of...

Li's remarks came as the World Economic Forum's (WEF's) 54th annual conference is preoccupied with a slew of global risks, including wars in Ukraine and Gaza, climate change and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. He said "new discriminatory trade and investment measures" had appeared every year, adding: "Any obstacles...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Iran wants to elevate the levels of trade and investment exchanges with Saudi Arabia to the highest volume in the region, Iran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, said during his meeting Sunday with the President of the Federation of Saudi Chambers, Hassan bin Mujab Al-Huwaizi....

Violence involving Iran-aligned groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria has surged since the war in Gaza began in early October. The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza, have carried out a growing number of attacks on what they deem Israeli-linked shipping on the key Red...

Beijing, China - Trade between China and Russia hit a record high in 2023, official data from Beijing showed on Friday, as commerce with the United States fell for the first time in four years on the back of geopolitical tensions. China-Russia trade reached more than $240 billion, customs figures showed,...

Dubai, UAE-- The UAE and Costa Rica have concluded negotiations to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. In this connection, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Manuel Tovar, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica, have signed a joint statement to confirm...

The announcement came hours after a British-navy maritime security agency said armed men boarded the Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas off Oman and changed course towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran. Four or five "unauthorized boarders are reported to be wearing military-style black uniforms with black masks", the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations...

The agreements worth US$3bn were signed with Gujarat.

Indian refiners bought 1.45 million barrels per day of Russian oil last month, their lowest amount since last January and down nearly 16 percent from November, according to global energy trade intelligence platform Kpler.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Federation of Saudi Chambers and the National Center for Marketing and Price Study at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding to boost investment and trade between the two countries. The memo was signed at the federation's headquarters...

DUBAI, UAE – For over 30 years, globalization has been the evergreen megatrend as global trade has helped lift some one billion people out of poverty, an expert has said. Yin Zou, the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, DHL Group, wrote in the World Economic Forum that the COVID-19...

The Houthis say they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels to push for a stop to the offensive in Gaza. The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12% of global trade, prompting the US to set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea...

Most large international shipping companies have decided to reroute trading to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal through which 12 percent of world trade usually passes. The Houthis say the strikes are in solidarity with Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza, which Israel has bombarded relentlessly for three months, in what...

Following record highs in 2023 for the likes of Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo, investors are predicting more gains as central banks prepare a series of interest-rate cuts as inflation cools. Oil prices rallied 2.5 percent on supply concerns after Iran dispatched a warship to the Red Sea in response to...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran's Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, at a time of heightened tensions over the globally important waterway. The agency did not give specific reasons for its deployment, but noted that Iranian military vessels had...

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR 16.7 billion ($4.58 billion) in Nov 2023, a decrease of about QR 9.5 billion, or 36.3 percent, compared to Nov 2022, and a decrease by nearly QR 2.3 billion or 12.1 percent compared...

Tehran, Iran-- Trade between Iran and Azerbaijan has registered a 46 percent jump in 2022, according to the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Shahin Mustafayev, who is also the Azeri head of the Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Cooperation Commission, stated that the relations between the two countries are...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Shipping giant Maersk said on Sunday it was suspending the passage of vessels through a key Red Sea strait for 48 hours, after Yemeni rebels attacked one of its merchant ships. The Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container vessel en route from Singapore to Port Suez...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi EXIM Bank signed line of credit agreements worth $51 million with Türkiye Finans Katılım Bankası A.Ş. and Albaraka Türk Katilim Bankasi A.S. The agreement is likely to help boost trade between the two countries and facilitate the flow of Saudi non-oil exports to the Turkish...

Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas. The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--UAE stocks generated strong cash flows Monday, with market liquidity surpassing $272 million. International Holding Company (IHC) and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) topped the market in terms of number of transactions. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) gained $241.25 million in liquidity, as compared to the...

The protesters were called to the streets by a disparate group of organizations backing the Palestinian cause, including left-wingers and members of the Islamist Justice and Charity movement. They marched along Mohammed V Avenue in the heart of the city, beneath banners declaring "stop the war of extermination in Gaza,...

Manama, Bahrain--Export Bahrain and Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) have signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen trade ties and create new avenues of opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Kingdom of Bahrain.  The strategic partnership agreement seeks to foster mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation. It...

UN special envoy Hans Grundberg's announcement marks the latest step to end the nine-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. It follows recent meetings by Grundberg with head of Yemen's Saudi-backed presidential council and the chief negotiator of...

Dubai, UAE - A "possible explosion" struck a key shipping lane off Yemen on Monday, two maritime agencies said, the latest incident in the vital waterway threatened by Houthi rebel attacks. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued a warning of a potential explosion striking near a vessel passing through...

DUBAI, UAE - The outlook for 2024 remains “highly uncertain and generally pessimistic,” UNCTAD says in the Global Trade Update, citing factors like ongoing geopolitical tensions, escalating debt and widespread economic fragility. Other elements weighing on trade include lower demand in developed countries, less trade in East Asia, an uptick...

Tehran, Iran--Trade between Iran and Russia has climbed 18 percent to US$1.7 billion in the first eight months of 2023. This was stated by the chairman of the Iranian Customs Administration Mohammad Rezvani, noting that the Iran Iran-Russia trade recorded $1.7 billion in the first eight months of this year...

"Some 4.7 billion people are expected to travel in 2024, an historic high that exceeds the pre-pandemic level of 4.5 billion recorded in 2019," IATA said in its traditional review of industry trends as the year draws to a close.

Istanbul, Turkey - Saudi and Turkish companies, part of the Saudi-Turkish Business Council, signed eight trade agreements to strengthen trade and investment between the two countries. The Federation of Saudi Chambers, Saudi General Authority of Foreign Trade, and Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board co-organized the meet between the two. It...

Smoke again clouded the sky over the north of the Palestinian territory, whose Hamas government said 240 people had been killed since a pause in hostilities expired early Friday and combat resumed. After the truce expired on Friday, Israel had told NGOs not to bring aid convoys across the Rafah...

Antwerp, Belgium - As European capitals prepare to implement long-awaited sanctions on Russia's diamond exports, Belgian traders are bracing for new scrutiny of their industry. In Antwerp's renowned diamond district -- which handles an estimated 86 percent of the world's rough diamonds -- polishing "labs" are turning to blockchain technology to...

Stockholm, Sweden - Electric carmaker Tesla on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state over a strike by postal workers that is blocking deliveries of license plates for its new cars. Tesla is currently facing strikes on multiple fronts in Sweden over its refusal to sign a collective wage agreement...

Jakarta, Indonesia - The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is expected to increase Indonesia’s exports to the UAE by around $4 billion, the country's Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Friday. "It will also increase [our] imports from the UAE by approximately $4 billion,” he added. According to Indonesia's...

DOHA, QATAR - The merchandise trade balance of Qatar (difference between total exports and imports) recorded a surplus of US$6.7 billion (QR60.9 billion) Q3 2023, down from US$28 billion (QR102.1 billion) in Q3 2022. According to the press release on Quarterly Foreign Merchandise Trade Statistics, Q3 2023 State of Qatar,...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Saudi-Algerian Business Forum concluded its activities with the two countries signing eight agreements aiming at enhancing trade and investment. The agreements covered trade, investment, information technology, business incubators and accelerators, tourism services, elevators, and spare parts. The agreements were signed on Thursday by the Federation...

Texas, US--Oil prices hardly moved during Asian trade on Wednesday as the market awaited potentially mixed news on the supply front, with the OPEC+ producers group expected to discuss output cuts and U.S. crude stocks forecast to show a big build-up. Brent crude futures fell 3 cents, or 0.04%, to...

Commercial traffic ground to a halt Tuesday when Pakistan began requiring the crew of commercial vehicles to have passports and visas to enter, and Afghanistan responded by refusing to allow any trucks to pass. Long-fraught relations between Kabul and Islamabad have worsened since October, when Pakistan announced plans to deport...

DUBAI, UAE – Dubai Customs has experienced a robust 13 percent increase with 21.6 million transactions during the first nine months of this year. This surge contrasts with the 19 million transactions recorded during the same period last year. The upswing aligns with the targets of Dubai’s economic agenda D33,...

Tokyo, Japan - Japan's government said on Friday that it plans to spend 2 trillion yen ($13 billion) to boost domestic production of strategically important semiconductors and generative AI technology. The planned outlays will include 700 billion yen ($4.6 billion) to support the construction of a Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)...

Manama, Bahrain--Export Bahrain and Alibaba.com have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost global trade and economic growth in Bahrain. The MoU signed during the 6th China International Import Exhibition held in Shanghai, will enable Export Bahrain and Alibaba.com to leverage their respective strengths and expertise to facilitate trade,...

Sharjah, UAE-- In a groundbreaking move to strengthen ties with burgeoning markets in Africa, the Sharjah Exports Development Centre (SEDC) is spearheading a trade mission to Uganda and Kenya. This strategic venture aims to bolster economic and investment cooperation, paving the way for a new era of business opportunities. Under...

Tashkent will host the Iranian and Turkish presidents, as well as Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Central Asian leaders. The war between Israel and Hamas is not on the agenda, Uzbekistan said.

Hong Kong, China - Markets rallied again Monday following another strong performance on Wall Street, as below-forecast US jobs data fanned optimism that the Federal Reserve had reached the end of its interest rate hiking cycle. After a tough year for traders, the bank's decision last week to pause on monetary...

Sharjah, UAE-- The emirate of Sharjah is seeking to boost economic and investment cooperation with Uganda and Kenya. In this connection, the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) will dispatch a trade mission to Uganda and Kenya to enhance ties with the two African nations. Led by the Sharjah...