JEDDAH, 10 December 2003 — Among the large number of exhibitors from the Far East at Saudi Arabia’s International Trade Fair here are 14 companies from Hong Kong.

Mainland China is not represented. “China is busy with a solo trade exhibition in Riyadh from Dec. 14 to 18,” Chinese Economic and Commercial Consul Gao Ning said yesterday. The Hong Kong pavilion features products and services related to electrical household appliances, industrial safety wear, gold and silver-plated house ware, handbags, kitchen tools and a range of other items.

“The Hong Kong Trade Development Council is again leading the island’s delegation,” HKTDC Marketing Manager Ali Fakha told Arab News. A majority of Hong Kong companies have established production facilities on the Chinese mainland, where costs are lower and skilled labor is abundant, enabling them to retain their competitive edge in worldwide markets.

HKTDC is a statutory organization promoting the island’s external trade. It operates in various markets through a global network of offices, including a regional office in Dubai. He said the Kingdom was the largest market in the Middle East for the island. It also operates a specialized Internet portal site for international traders interested in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and the wider Asia-Pacific region. Hong Kong’s exports to the Kingdom reached a whopping $3.82 billion in 2002. In the first nine months of 2003, total bilateral trade grew by 3.7 percent to exceed $2.84 billion.

Pakistan

Pakistan’s eight companies are showcasing products ranging from bathroom accessories and textiles to ceramic lamps and hardware and wooden furniture.

“The Kingdom is our sixth major export destination,” Muhammad Saleem, commercial consul at the Pakistani consulate said. The bilateral trade exceeds $1.8 billion, with Pakistani exports to the Kingdom having a record increase in 2002-03. “The accelerated process of growth in exports, which started five years ago, continues despite the Sept. 11 attack on the United States, Afghanistan war and Iraq crisis. The composite growth in five years has been 147 percent. Our exports to the kingdom during the fiscal year 2002-03 witnessed a 44 percent growth compared to the previous financial year,” he said.