As negotiators sat down for talks in Saudi capital Riyadh, Britain’s Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch welcomed the early progress in trade relations with Gulf nations as hopes of a £1.6 billion pact increase.
South Korea is continuing negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council to enhance its energy security and improve the economics of importing sour crude from the Middle East.
Korea and a group of Arab countries will hold a new round of negotiations for their free trade deal in Saudi Arabia this week, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Qin Gang called for a China-Gulf free trade zone to be established as soon as possible in a telephone conversation with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have agreed to pursue a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two regions and resume the negotiations, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said.
“The GCC EU FTA has been stalled for almost 30 years – a situation that does not reflect the strategic relationship between the GCC and the EU," said GCC secretary-general.