The Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dr Esam Abdullah Fakhro said that Bahrain-China trade has reached $1.9b as the private sectors of both countries were working to further solidify the trade, investment and commercial ties.
He was speaking during the Bahrain-China Business Forum which was held on the sidelines of the official visit by His Majesty the King to People’s Republic of China, Bahrain-China Business Forum.
The Forum was held in presence of Industry and Commerce Minister Dr. Hassan Fakhro and Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dr. Essam Fakhro in addition to member of Bahrain-China joint business Council and large group of businessmen and businesswomen and investors representing major private companies of both countries.
During the opening ceremony, Industry and Commerce Minister Dr. Hassan delivered a speech praising the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and China. He also pointed that the historic visit by His Majesty the King to China has a new horizons for this strategic relationship in light of what owned by the Kingdom of economic potential that qualify Bahrain to be a bridge for Chinese investment in the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East.
Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dr. Essam Fakhro delivered a speech pointing out the investment opportunities available in both countries and what can the private sector practice in this aspect. He also pointed out that the investment size and trade exchange have doubled positively to reach $1.9 billion.
Bahrain-China Business Forum included two panels. The First panel is on “Opportunities for business in Bahrain” and participated by CEO Electricity and Water Authority Sheikh Nawaf bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Acting Undersecretary for Industry Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Commerce Osama Al-Arrayedh, Chairman and Acting CEO of Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) Mr. Adel Khalil Al-Moayed, Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Services, Ministry of Works Ahmed Al Khayyat, Chief of Village Expansion and Dwelling Rehabilitation, Ministry of Housing Redha Mohammed Al Adraj, Manager of Strategy and PMO, Telecommunication Regulatory Authority Musab Abdulla, VP Infrastructure Development and Maintenance, Bahrain Airport Company Abdullah Ahmed Janahi .
The second panel discussion is on “Bahrain a Gateway to the Region” and participated Executive Director of Financial Institutions Supervision Central Bank of Bahrain Abdulrahman Al-Baker, President, Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co. (GPIC) Abdulrahman Jawahery, Manager Business Development- Bahrain Economic Development Board Adel Hameed, Vice President Investment – Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Damien Balmet, Country Manager, Huawei Technologies SPC Bahrain Fly Liuxiang, Vice President, Bahrain Bay Abdullah Faisal Al-Doseri, CEO Diyar Al Muharraq Dr. Maher A. Aziz Al-Shaer, CEO ASB Biodiesel (Hong Kong) Ltd. (Al Salam Bank Project) Anthony Dixon.
On the sideline of the forum was the signing partnership agreement between Aba Hussain Company for fiber glass production which located in Bahrain International Investment Park with Chinese company CPIC, which is one of the largest fiberglass manufacturers in the world. This partnership is expected for Aba Hussain Middle East to increase company’s production from 30000 tons to 200000 tons of fiber glass with total investment of US $200 million.
During the forum was also signing two memoranda of between the two sides, the first one was between Diyar Al Muharraq and Chinamex on behalf of Dragon City Project and the second one was between Bahrain telecommunications Company “Bateclo” and Haawei.
A ceremony was also signed between “Akfa Enterprises Co. W.L.L” and Chinese Company “CNBM International Corporation” regarding cooperation in the training filed of “waterproofing”.
There was also Gallery exhibition, HSBC bank also organized a reception for the Bahraini trade delegation participating in this visit.