WT/TPR/M/333  
31 May 2016  
(16-2910)  Page: 1/51  
Trade Policy Review Body 
4 and 6 April 2016  
 
  TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
Chairperson: Ms. Irene Young (Hong Kong, China) 
CONTENTS 
 
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ....................................................... 2  
2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI 
ARABIA ........................................................................................................................ .... 4 
3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT ................................................................................ 7  
4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS ........................................................................................ 10  
5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND 
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ............................................................................................... 46  
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ......................................................... 50  
 
 
Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies 
provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/333/Add.1 and 
will be available online at http://www.wt o.org/english/tratop_e /tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1.1.  The second Trade Policy Review of the Kin gdom of Saudi Arabia was held on 4 and 
6 April 2016. The Chairperson, Ms. Irene Young (H ong Kong, China), welcomed the delegation of 
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia headed by Dr. Abdolazeez Al Otaibi, Ambassador, Permanent 
Representative to the WTO; and the discussant, H.E. Ambassador Alvaro Cedeño Molinari 
(Costa Rica). 
1.2.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Tr ade Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting. The report by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was contained in 
document WT/TPR/G/333 and that of the WTO Secretariat in WT/TPR/S/333. 
1.3.  Questions by the following delegations had been  submitted in writing before the deadline and 
had been transmitted to the delegation of th e Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Switzerland; Oman; 
Colombia; México; Singapore; Australia; China; Chinese Taipei; European Union; Canada; Turkey; 
and the Dominican Republic. The following delegations submitted written questions after the deadline: United States; Chile; New Zealand; Korea; Kenya; Ecuador; Thailand; Argentina; and 
Malaysia. These questions had also been transmitted to the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia. 
1.4.  Saudi Arabia's last TPR took place in 2012, at a time when oil prices – and related export 
earnings and Government revenues – were high , and the economy was growing strongly. This 
trend had continued for a number of years, until oil prices started to fall in 2014, altering considerably the economic landscape. Understandably, for this review, many of the questions from Members focused on this development, and on how the Government reacted to it. If back in 2012, 
there had already been a strong case for economic diversification; the case could only be stronger 
now. It would be useful to know what measures  the Government had taken to achieve this key 
objective of its Tenth Development Plan. 
1.5.  At the last TPR, Members had praised Saudi Arabia for its commitment to the multilateral 
trading system, and had encouraged it to take more of a leadership role in line with its growing importance in trade and economic terms. Members were pleased to know that, four years on, 
Saudi Arabia was still keeping its tariffs relatively low for most products, and still had not used any 
contingency measures. Also worth noting was that , during this period, the Government had taken 
additional steps to facilitate trade, resulting in substantially modernized customs procedures. Meanwhile, Category A notification of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation had also been 
submitted. The next obvious question, for many  Members, was when that Agreement would be 
ratified.  
1.6.  Regarding investment, the previous TPR had indi cated that the Kingdom had a generally open 
regime. Since then, new sectors had been opened to foreign investment. However, some sectors 
remained excluded, and restrictions remained on the level of foreign ownership in some other sectors. Furthermore, new requirements to enco urage employment of Saudi nationals had been 
introduced, which could discourage foreign investment and thereby compromise diversification 
efforts. This was another area that Members would like to learn more about.  
1.7.  Competition policy had also attracted some attention at the last TPR, mainly because the 
Kingdom's competition law did not apply to state-owned enterprises which were present in many 
sectors of the economy. This was still the case. Although some changes had been made to the 
legislation in 2014, they dealt with fines for non-compliance only, and did not affect SoEs. Related to this issue was privatization policy. How to increase private sector participation in the economy 
and scale-back reliance on the public sector had been identified as a key challenge in the last 
review. The Chairperson believed Members would li ke to know more about the progress in this 
regard. 
1.8.  Also in the last review, some Members had urged Saudi Arabia to accede to the WTO 
Government Procurement Agreement and to remove  the price preferences for domestic and GCC 
products. The membership understood that positions had not changed. 
1.9.  Intellectual property was another area that continued to attract Members' attention. In 2013, 
Saudi Arabia had joined the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Patent Law Treaty. Members WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  wished to have more information on how the Kingdom had strengthened relevant domestic laws 
and stepped up enforcement accordingly.  
1.10.  Apart from the above, issues such as TBT and SPS measures, taxes and incentives, 
agricultural policies, and transport policies had also been raised by Members. The Chairperson did 
not intend to go through them one by one, but hoped this meeting would allow the membership to 
discuss many of them in greater detail, particularly those of systemic importance to the multilateral trading system. She looked forward to a fruitful exchange. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA 
(DR ABDOLAZEEZ AL OTAIBI) 
2.1.  I am very pleased to introduce an overview of the trade policies of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia in its second Trade Policy Review.  
2.2.  On behalf of the Saudi delegation, I would like to start by thanking Ms. Irene Young, our 
Chairperson, as well as our discussant Ambassador Alvaro Molinari of Costa Rica.  
2.3.  Our special thanks go to the Secretariat of the WTO for their outstanding efforts and support.  
2.4.  We also would like to express our deep gratitude to all of you for showing interest in our 
Trade Policy Review.  
2.5.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes that this periodical exercise is a main transparency 
instrument which provides opportunities for a process of collective evaluation of the trade policies 
and practices of each Member. We welcome this opportunity to acquaint the WTO Membership with 
the Saudi economy and our Government's policies particularly our trade policy framework. Saudi Arabia has always maintained an open, free, and transparent economy. 
2.6.  As  a me mber of the G -20  and an active  M e mb e r of the W T O, we  would  like  to s e ize  this  
opportunity to reaffirm our full commitment to the multilateral trading system and to the WTO rules and disciplines.  
2.7.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the achievements of the last two Ministerial 
Conferences in Bali and Nairobi and encourages  all Members to capitalize on the momentum 
generated by such achievements to conclude the remaining issues of the Doha Development Round.  
2.8.  Since our last Trade Policy Review, the global economy has been hampered by some new 
challenges, including a number of unexpected shocks, such as the geopolitical tensions and the decline in the world oil prices. Despite these challenges, the Saudi economy has always shown its 
resilience and ability to cope with shocks. This is due to the strength of the fundamentals of the 
Saudi economy. 
2.9.  Saudi Arabia has adopted multi-annual development plans including the Ninth Development 
Plan (2010-2014) and the Tenth Development Plan  (2015-2019). The implementation of the 9th 
Development Plan has resulted in a positive economic performance in the past few years in terms of GDP growth, moderate inflation, and surpluses in both its overall fiscal position and external current account. The Kingdom has had one of the strongest performing economies in the G-20. 
Real GDP growth averaged 5.3%  annually between 2010 and 2014.  
2.10.  In order to mitigate the adverse impacts of the turmoil of global economy, the Saudi 
Government, led by the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is determined to 
inject new dynamism into its economy through a productivity and investment-led transformation 
that could ensure future growth, diversificatio n of the economy, employment, and prosperity. 
2.11.  Major new policies that will help achieving these objectives over the coming five years 
include increasing average annual growth of government consumption to 5.2%; growth of 
government investment to 10.1%; growth in the value added of the oil and gas sector to 2.2%; enhancing competition in the Saudi market; adopti ng new reforms to investment policy; and the 
elaboration and implementation of a new investment road-map for each sector. 
2.12.  Key national priorities that aim to boost domestic investment, enhance competitiveness, and 
facilitate trade include: (1) reducing the regulato ry burden and increasing government investment; 
(2) shifting to greater private sector funding and management of investment through 
public-private partnerships; (3) improving institutional frameworks including rules and regulations; 
(4) enhancing technical and vocational training; (5) boosting female labor force participation; (6) implementing the Trade Facilitation Ag reement; and (7) improving port capacity. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  2.13.  The diversification of the economy is a central and integral objective of our 10th 
Development Plan. Although, hydrocarbons continue  t o  p l a y  a  c e n t r a l  r o l e  i n  t h e  e c o n o m y ,  t h e  
Government is pursuing a successful diversific ation strategy to encourage the development of 
value-added activities in non-oil sectors such as services and manufacturing. 
2.14.  Consistent with the 10th Development Plan, th e Kingdom has adopted significant number of 
structural, monetary, and fiscal reforms serving its objectives. Saudi Arabia has always been committed to national human resources develo pment agenda. Investments in education and 
training has been increased and labor market reforms were undertaken to increase participation of 
skilled Saudi nationals, particularly women, in sectors that offer significant value added and drive our transition to a knowledge-based economy. 
2.15.  Trade liberalization and investment are of a significant importance to Saudi Arabia's 
economy. The Government encourages investment across nearly all economic sectors, including 
investments in industry, transportation, educatio n, health, communications technology, sciences, 
and energy. 
2.16.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia undertook various steps to facilitate and promote an increased 
role of the private sector in the economy and to improve the ease of doing business. According to 
the "2015 Doing Business" report of the Worl d Bank, Saudi Arabia ranked 49th out of 
189 economies in terms of ease of doing business. 
2.17.  Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) currently represent approximately 90% of all 
businesses in the Kingdom. In order to develo p and support this important segment of the 
economy, the Kingdom has recently established the General Authority for Small and Medium 
Enterprises with the aim of regulating SMEs as well as supporting and developing them in line with 
the best international practices.  
2.18.  In order to improve the investment environment and enhance predictability and certainty for 
foreign investors, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) has amended its 
regulation in 2014. SAGIA has also amended the negative list where several sectors were removed. Foreign investment in mining, petrochemicals, gas and communications are now 
permitted. 
2.19.  More recently, a royal directive has been issued to review the commercial and investment 
regulations so as to allow foreign companies to invest up to 100% in the wholesale and retail sector, which would boost the Kingdom's economy and make it more competitive while generating 
more jobs for Saudi nationals. 
2.20.  Saudi Arabia recognizes the importance of the competition policy and believes that it is 
crucial to create an efficient market conduct and promote overall productivity, innovation and 
competitiveness. 
2.21.  The new Saudi Competition Law is expanding the scope of application of the Law to all 
establishments, organizations and authorities that conduct commercial and economic activities, 
notwithstanding their ownership. Progress is bein g made in developing a unified GCC Competition 
Law and it is expected to enter into force in the near future. 
2.22.  Saudi Arabia undertook a comprehensive revision of its laws covering intellectual property 
rights to bring them in line with the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual 
Property Rights and promulgated changes in coor dination with the World Intellectual Property 
Organization (WIPO). The Kingdom has established oversight committees and applied a set of procedures to enforce the protection of Intellectual Property Rights. The Committee for Examining 
Patents Lawsuits has the power to grant injunctions to prevent infringements related to patents, 
industrial designs, layout-designs of integrated circuits and plant varieties. A total of 122 cases were filed against the Saudi Patent Office's decisions during the period 2012-2015, of which 
93 cases have been resolved. 
2.23.  The Kingdom considers privatization as a key tool that plays an important role in enhancing 
economic growth, generate revenue and increase efficiency. The Tenth Development Plan clearly 
envisages accelerating the privatization of some government services and underlines the WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  importance of studying the possible privatization of social services. For example, Saudi Post is 
considered to be a potential short-term privatization target, as well as the privatization of international and national airports. 
2.24.  With regard to customs, the Kingdom has comp leted the implementation of all its accession 
obligations in the goods sector, with the implementation of the sixth and last phase of the 
reduction of customs duties on 11 December 2015. Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has substantially modernized its customs procedur es. The Kingdom has submitted its Category A 
notification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, and the ratification of the TFA is in its final stage. 
2.25.  The Saudi Customs Department applies a fully automated system in most cases, allowing 
electronic submission and processing of import declarations. According to OECD trade facilitation indicators, Saudi Arabia performs better than th e averages of Middle East and North Africa and 
high-income countries in the areas of simplification and harmonization of documents, internal 
border agency cooperation and governance and impartiality. 
2.26.  Saudi Arabia recognizes the importance of government procurement and believes that it is 
crucial to its economic development and diversification. Therefore, a review of the laws of 
government purchases and tenders is currently under way. With regard to the GPA's accession, the 
Kingdom is currently conducting an impact assessment study of this agreement.  
2.27.  The Kingdom believes that regional trade agreements can be a useful complement to the 
multilateral system, by deepening the integration of markets, reinforcing the role of trade in economic growth, promoting economies of scale , and encouraging regional cooperation. The 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with the other Gu lf Cooperation Council Members, will engage 
more actively in negotiations aimed at concludi ng free trade agreements to create and enhance 
market access opportunities for non-oil exports. To date, the GCC had signed two FTAs with Singapore and EFTA. 
2.28.  Saudi Arabia clearly recognizes the centrality of development and the need for positive 
efforts to ensure that developing countries, an d especially the least-developed ones, get their 
share in the growth of international trade. Its co ntribution and support to the Enhanced Integrated 
Framework, the trade program to deliver real and concrete support to the LDCs helping them to 
use trade as a tool for growth, sustainable develo pment and poverty reduction, is a clear proof of 
the commitment of the Kingdom to support the development dimension. 
2.29.  In conclusion, I have briefly outlined the fr amework that underpins our trade and economic 
policies, our goals for economic and social development, as well as trade policy initiatives 
implemented since our last TPR. We welcome the large number of questions that we have received from our partners in the WTO. We have endeavor ed to provide answers to these questions and we 
look forward to your comments and suggestions today and on Wednesday regarding our trade 
policies. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
3.1.  It is an honor to serve as discussant for th e Trade Policy Review of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia. I had the privilege of attending a conferen ce at the Madinah Institute for Leadership and 
Entrepreneurship in 2014 and I was very positively impressed by what I saw in terms of the digital 
transformation that Saudi Arabia is experiencing . More concretely, I learned about the fast-paced 
implementation of an E-government platform that allows the Saudi population to have access to as many as 500 government procedures from their computers or mobile phones. Coming from a 
country like Costa Rica, which is also striving to  become a knowledge-based economy, I can relate 
to the Saudi challenges. 
3.2.  Precisely because of that personal experience, I would like to focus my intervention on what I 
consider the main aspect of this review: the diversification of the Saudi economy and the 
structural reforms needed to transform it into  a knowledge-based one. The Kingdom aspires to 
achieve this ambitious goal by the year 2030, in accordance to the Tenth Development Plan 
(2015-2019). This topic is quite relevant given the current worldwide context of a decline in oil 
prices, Saudi Arabia's main export produc t and main source of Government revenue. 
3.3.  What is the roadmap needed to achieve the ambitious goal of becoming an economy that can 
rely on knowledge, information and high skilled labour? What type of policies could Saudi Arabia 
pursue in order to facilitate its transition? What sort of trade and investment measures may 
contribute to a successful transformation? These qu estions will hopefully be addressed during the 
next couple of days, and we will have a clearer picture of where Saudi Arabia is heading to and what we, the multilateral trading system, can do to help one of our own. 
3.4.  Before we address these questions, it would be relevant to know where Saudi Arabia stands 
at present. Despite a fall in oil prices, Saudi Arabia manages to maintain economic stability. Inflation remains low, averaging close to 3% in the last five years, GDP has been growing steadily 
at a rate of approximately 4 to 5%, and its fiscal situation remains under control. Oil reserves are 
abundant. Caution, however, should be observed since the fall in oil prices is fairly recent and there is uncertainty as to how much longer this scenario will persist. One thing is clear: economic 
diversification is essential in order to cope with a post-oil era and it is, therefore, something that 
should not be postponed. Saudi Arabia understands this and has strategically decided to work on the transition to a knowledge-based economy. It is a wise decision to make and the timing to 
implement changes seems appropriate.  
3.5.  We understand a "knowledge-based economy" as an economy that is directly based on the 
production, distribution and use of knowledge an d information. This is reflected in the trend 
towards productivity gains associated with high -technology investments and industries, and more 
highly-skilled labour. It implies transversal cooperation such as public-private partnerships, and 
diversity among the human capital expected to creatively drive innovation.
1 
3.6.  It is interesting to note that Saudi Arabia has identified economic diversification, 
improvement of competitiveness and active particip ation of its private sector as key components 
within its transformation strategy into a knowledge-based economy. What measures has Saudi Arabia taken so far in these areas and what improvements could still be identified? 
3.7.  In terms of economic diversification, to increase the participation of non-oil sectors in the 
country's GDP is one of the objectives pursued. Given the large amount of oil reserves, it would be 
useful to identify economic incentives that could assist the Kingdom in achieving diversification, both of public revenues and exports. These objectives are, anyway, on-going processes towards a 
long-term goal.  
3.8.  In the short term, improvement of competitiveness and a more active participation of the 
private sector seem more achievable. The introduction of a new Companies Law and the opening 
of certain sectors to foreign direct investme nt, such as mining, petrochemicals, gas and 
telecommunications are all welcomed contributions in that sense. Other sectors, such as commercial services, communications and insurance, where restrictions to private participation remain, could further contribute to the transfer of knowledge and information. Learning how 
                                               
1 OECD, "The knowledge based economy" (OCDE/GD(96)102), 1996, p. 7. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  Saudi Arabia plans to reform these other sectors could give potential investors and trading 
partners the opportunity to engage constructively towards the main diversification goal.  
3.9.  Other trade and investment measures could improve the business climate and boost 
competitiveness. Among them, deeper trade facilitation measures; stronger intellectual property laws; and improvements to amend government proc urement provisions in order to allow greater 
participation of foreign bidders. Members have expressed strong interest in these issues.  
Human capital 
3.10.  The road towards an economy based on knowledge must also comprise innovation, 
particularly through the development of a skill ed workforce, able to generate new ideas, 
technologies and inventions adapted to the era of information. The OECD states that "to compete successfully in today's global economy, countries need to develop the potential of all of their 
citizens. They need to ensure that men and wome n develop the right skills and find opportunities 
to use them productively".
2 
3.11.  Certainly, the trigger for innovation is education. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made 
remarkable progress closing education gaps for upper secondary level in young adults, and, in 
addition, more people are accessing tertiary education, including women, although at a slower 
pace.  
3.12.  To tackle the new challenges, it is fundamental to face the global realities and generate a 
supply and demand for skills towards the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution. According to the 
World Bank, Saudi Arabia's adult literacy rate exceeds 94% for both genders. Together with the 
fact that 70% of the population is under 30 years of age, opportunities to develop its human capital are enormous. Nevertheless, the interest of young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers remains low and humanities, social sciences, law 
and education are still the most sought fields. Women represent 55% of graduates from Saudi 
universities, mostly focusing on the field of education. Their insertion in the labour market is a priority for the Government. They represent over half of the country's idle workforce in an 
economy with great potential for diversifying and competing in more knowledge based areas. 
Contributions from the World Bank and the World Economic Forum indicate that Saudi Arabia women do better in math and science than men, but they remain so far unable to pursue STEM careers. 
3.13.  Creating capacities and skills enable entrepreneurship: for an economy that has been based 
predominantly on the oil industry, opportunities to explore and diversify abound. The involvement 
of the private sector on this matter is essential to enter into broader areas, such as services, high tech, and digital communications. The developmen t of start-ups may be promoted along with 
better access of foreign investment into the country, so the younger populations can have a wider 
range of employment options in the private sector. Investment - both local and foreign - on research and development can prompt a more knowledge-based human capital in information and 
communication technologies, clean energy production, and new manufacturing processes, among 
others.  
Transparency 
3.14.  Allow me to shift to the topic of transparency, which is the main driver of any TPR exercise. 
The application of this principle in trade allows economic actors and investment partners to monitor the effective implementation of rules, while ensuring fairness and peer review in 
decision-making processes. The proximate object ive of transparency is reducing information 
asymmetries among Governments, and between the State, economic actors, and citizens. As for 
Governments, information asymmetry exacerbates power imbalances. By reducing such information gaps, the WTO helps to level the playing field.
3 
3.15.   Therefore, it is of note that the Secretariat report on Saudi Arabia indicates that objectives 
and strategies for development are set out in multi-annual plans. The details of the operation of 
                                               
2 Education at a Glance 2015 Report (OECD, 2015). 
3 Robert Wolfe , Letting the sun shine in at the WTO: How transparency brings the trading system to life . 
School of Policy Studies Queen's University, World Trade Organization, Economic Research and Statistics Division, 6 March 2013. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  the Tenth Development Plan should be published in order to increase the predictability and 
stability needed to encourage investment, create jobs and improve consumer welfare. The Secretariat report also indicates that, at the end of 2015, Saudi Arabia had 13 outstanding notifications. As part of this important transparency exercise, we encourage the Saudi Government to bring these notifications up to date. 
A knowledge based economy, and a low carbon economy? 
3.16.  I can't help but notice that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country marked by deep 
contrasts. On one hand, the Arabian Peninsula is one of the world's driest regions (with rainfall averaging less than 130 millimetres per year), wh ere securing sustainable sources of water and 
food, has always been a challenge. On the other hand, it also holds some of the world's largest oil 
reserves, a circumstance that has enormously contributed to the economic development of the 
Kingdom during the last century. 
3.17.  However, today the country is facing challenges that are, in a certain way, a more extreme 
version of the ones the rest of the world must face. The upcoming decades will see a global energy 
system shifting towards a low carbon economy: with the rise of solar energy and its more 
widespread use by the general public; projections of lower energy demand, particularly in developed economies; the emergence of more effi cient energies and technologies; and the rising 
threat of climate change. In the medium term, a more prolonged period of lower oil prices cannot 
be ruled out either.
4 
3.18.  How the Kingdom can "fuel" its growth to become a knowledge-based economy, and 
hopefully a low carbon one in the process, is a difficult question, with seemingly incompatible objectives and means at first glance. But in every challenge lies also an opportunity: Saudi Arabia 
could become a model for other countries, as it invests in new technologies; fosters innovative 
industries; and develops its human capital to find creative solutions for the energy challenges of 
the XXI century. 
3.19.  We are already seeing a first approach. The Kingdom already holds a comparative 
advantage in downstream refining, processing and converting industries, as well as other 
energy-intensive industries that have relatively low production costs. This is why it is very encouraging that the Saudi Government is steadily planning to integrate renewable energies into 
the power grid with different technologies and sizes
5 including photovoltaic, concentrated solar 
power, wind, geothermal, and waste to energy.  
3.20.  We cannot overlook either the ever present n eed to secure a sustainable source of water 
and food for a growing population of 30.8 million. As a net food importer, a strong and transparent multilateral trading system is not only a sound strategy for Saudi Arabia, it is a necessity. Once 
again, the future of Saudi Arabia is heavily entwin ed with the economic performance of the rest of 
the world, and particularly with the developing one, where there is still a lot to be done in creating more transparent, stronger and more efficient agricu ltural value chains. In that sense, it is very 
positive to note that support notified under the Amber Box (including de minimis ) has been 
declining steadily since 2008.
6 It is also noteworthy that the agricultural policy in the Ninth 
Development Plan included provisions to increase the size of investments in agricultural activities abroad, and to boost regional and international cooperation in this sector.
7 It would be of great 
value to have more detailed information regarding the application and results of such policies.  
3.21.  As a final consideration, my country, Costa Rica, has no significant reservoirs of minerals or 
hydrocarbons. Instead, the country has relied on it s biodiversity, forest coverage, fertile land and 
water to build its comparative advantages in agriculture, renewable energies and services. 
Regardless of these differences, we share the same goal with Saudi Arabia: to become a 
knowledge-based economy pillared by strong and competitive human capital. My final question 
would therefore be: how can we, the WTO Members, following this House's rules, principles and 
tools, develop synergies that help Saudi Arabia achieve that common goal? I look forward to the 
answers that this transparency ex ercise will certainly provide. 
                                               
 4 Sources: Bloomberg, New Energy Finance: New Energy Outlook 2015, Powering a changing world; 
International Energy Agency (IEA), World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2015 . 
5 Source: TPR, Government  Report paragraph 6.10. 
6 Source: TPR, Secretaria t Report, paragraph 4.35. 
7 Source: TPR, Secretaria t Report, paragraph 4.22. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
SWITZERLAND 4.1.  In the ten years since joining WTO, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established itself as an 
active and influential member of our Organization and supporter of the multilateral trading system. 
4.2.  Looking at the period under review, we welcom e the positive overall economic performance 
of Saudi Arabia, the prudent fiscal management and the steps taken to promote a more diversified and sustainable economy. 
4.3.  The sharp decline in oil prices has come to und erscore the importance of the objectives for 
economic development as set out in Saudi Arabia's Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019).  
4.4.  Making the private sector more attractive for entrepreneurs, investors and employees – as 
well as further developing human resources and broadening participation in the labor market – 
seem to be among the key elements towards a more balanced and competitive economic 
structure, especially in non-oil sectors.  
4.5.  We note the efforts made in the framework of the Nitaqat programme aimed at expanding 
employment of Saudi nationals. Implementing this programme in a way that is consistent with 
WTO rules and does not unnecessarily complicate business activities should remain a central consideration. 
4.6.  Switzerland welcomes the Kingdom's recent initiatives aimed at reducing its high hydrocarbon 
consumption and at promoting renewable energies. We would like to encourage Saudi Arabia to 
further strengthen these efforts, including through the avoidance of fossil fuel subsidies.  
4.7.  We commend Saudi Arabia's trade profile with full binding coverage and relatively low 
average bound and applied rates for goods. Further reducing tariff and – probably even more 
importantly – non-tariff barriers would positively affect the ease of doing business in the country, along with a more transparent and predictable implementation of regulations.  
4.8.  We welcome recent steps simplifying the Kingdom's customs procedures, such as electronic 
submission and processing of import declarations. We encourage Saudi Arabia to pursue the Single Window project and to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement as soon as possible. 
4.9.  In this context, we have noted that Saudi Arabia has been downgraded very significantly by 
the World Bank's Doing Business reports over the reporting period, from an excellent 12th rank to the 82nd position. Explanations in the respect of  these worrying findings would be appreciated. 
4.10.  Recently, Saudi Arabia raised the applied duties for cigarettes within its WTO commitments. 
We expect the impact of such increase on the GCC's common external tariff to be considered 
carefully, in line with respective WTO rules. 
4.11.  Before concluding, let me mention that bilateral economic relations between Switzerland 
and Saudi Arabia have evolved dynamically since 2011. Merchandise trade has more than doubled, 
and direct investments have also increased substantially, with a workforce of about 10'000 now employed by Swiss companies in the Kingdom. 
4.12.  In 2014, a Free Trade Agreement between the four EFTA and six GCC States entered into 
force. Full implementation by all Parties will further enhance the trade and investment framework 
between both sides. 
4.13.  We look forward to Saudi Arabia's continued engagement for the multilateral trading system 
and wish the Saudi Arabian delegation a productive Trade Policy Review. 
OMAN 4.14.  Saudi Arabia has secured positive economic development between 2010 and 2014, with 
adequate GDP growth and moderate inflation. The fall in oil prices from the middle of 2014 has WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  been met by determined efforts by the authorities to accelerate diversification of the economy 
through privatization, encouragement of foreign investment, transformation into a knowledge economy and development of national human resources. This process is led by the Council of Economic and Development Affairs led by His Ro yal Highness the Deputy Crown Prince. We have 
no doubt that the Kingdom is on the road to greater economic development resulting in more 
prosperity and welfare to its people and wish Saudi Arabia all the success in its diversification endeavours. 
4.15.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important and active Member of the WTO. It considers 
the multilateral trading system as central to the conduct of its trade policies. 
4.16.  Over the past few years the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Dr Abdulazeez 
Al Otaibi, has chaired the Council for Trade in Se rvices, the Council for Trade Related-Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the Work ing Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology. 
His Excellency's team in Geneva has also been active, Dr Maha Al Gabbani having chaired the Committee on Trade in Financial Services and Mr Saqer Al-Moqbel has chaired the Working Party 
on GATS Rules. 
4.17.  Moreover, Dr Abdulazeez has been the coordina tor for the Arab Group several times and has 
previously chaired the Asian Group of Developing Countries. 
4.18.  Saudi Arabia has also increased its participation as third party in a number of WTO disputes 
and has thereby contributed positively in the dial ogue on implementation of a number of important 
WTO rules and obligations.  
4.19.  This impressive track record is a testament to the importance Saudi Arabia attaches to the 
multilateral trading system and its positive contribution to the work of the WTO. 
4.20.  The Kingdom is also an active participant in Doha Round negotiations and it strongly 
supports efforts to bring the multilateral negotiations to a successful conclusion. 
4.21.  Oman and Saudi Arabia, along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, 
are bound together in a liberal, outward looking, trade creating arrangement in the framework of 
the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Kingdom's trade policies are rooted in this GCC arrangement. 
4.22.  Saudi Arabia has joined the WTO in 2005 and has made extensive, commercially meaningful 
commitments in agriculture, goods and services along with many systemic commitments. 
4.23.  Saudi Arabia bound practically all tariffs at an average bound rate of 11%. Its actual applied 
MFN tariff is the low figure of 5.2%. It has also made specific commitments on more than 
100 sub-sectors of services. 
4.24.  The Kingdom does not use any internal taxes such as sales tax or excise duties. It does not 
resort to prohibited quantitative restrictions, does not apply illegal Trade Related Investment 
Measures, has no export subsidies and has not resorted to any trade remedy measures. Thus, 
Saudi Arabia faithfully adheres to the principles and rules of the WTO and to its obligations. 
4.25.  One of the aims of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism is to evaluate the impact of a 
Member's trade policies on the functioning of the multilateral trading system. In light of Saudi 
Arabia's record of strict observance of WTO rules, we urge this Body to conclude that the impact of 
Saudi Arabia's trade policies on the functioning of the multilateral trading system is highly positive. 
COLOMBIA 
4.26.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has posted a remarkable economic performance since its 
previous Trade Policy Review in 2012. As the Secr etariat report states, real GDP growth between 
2010 and 2014 averaged 5.3%, placing the Saudi ec onomy among the fastest growing in the G20. 
In particular, as the world's second largest produc er and largest exporter of petroleum, high oil 
prices until 2014 resulted in fiscal surpluses and foreign exchange reserves which were the equivalent of three years of imports, so that  public debt declined. They also spurred the WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  development of major sectors such as tourism (on religious grounds), financial services and 
construction. 
4.27.  However, the decline in the price of oil, wh ich started in 2014, has adversely affected the 
Kingdom's economic indicators, particularly the balance of payments, the shift from fiscal surplus 
to deficit, and the growth rate. 
4.28.  In response to this situation, the Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia has focused on diversifying the 
economy through its latest development plans, with the goal of reducing dependence on oil 
revenues. In order to achieve these objectives it has made considerable efforts to support 
activities other than hydrocarbon production and refining and also to ensure a better investment environment. It is worth highlighting large scale investment projects such as the building of four 
"economic cities" to develop various competitive sectors and create jobs. 
4.29.  However, reforming the economy is not a task without challenges that deserve our 
attention. Firstly, the Nitaqat Programme requ ires that a minimum pe rcentage of employees 
should be Saudi citizens. As the Secretariat report points out, this could have repercussions on the 
cost of doing business and could lead to the closure of some companies in important sectors such 
as construction, where most workers are not Saudi nationals. Secondly, the Kingdom is seeking to diversify non-oil exports through measures, such as financial support and guarantee measures, 
applied to products with a local value added of at least 25%. It is important that this strategy 
should remain in conformity with the rules of the multilateral trading system. 
4.30.  With respect to investment, we applaud the Kingdom's efforts to improve the investment 
climate. Nevertheless, we believe that there is still room for further expanding and diversifying 
opportunities for foreign investors. Specifically, we may mention restrictions such as the negative 
list for foreign investment and limitations on foreign ownership, which we hope to see gradually eased. 
4.31.  We welcome the efforts being directed towards the privatization of State owned companies 
in order to allow greater private sector participation in the Saudi economy, taking into account the Government's preponderant role in the capital of a number of world class companies such as Saudi 
Aramco. 
4.32.  In the customs field, it is noteworthy that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a 
straightforward customs regime with relatively low bound and applied average tariffs. In addition, 100% of tariff lines are bound, with the exception of those in which certain products are restricted. 
Nevertheless, we note that there are still tariff lines where the gap between the bound and the 
applied tariff is large, as was indicated in the previous Trade Policy Review. This could be an area for progress in our future negotiations. 
4.33.  We must also mention the appreciable advances made in the realm of intellectual property, 
specifically illustrated by the increase in patent applications. We hope that this progress will continue for utility models and trademarks. 
4.34.  With respect to bilateral relations, Saudi Arabia is Colombia's leading trade partner in the 
Gulf. In 2015 it was a major purchaser of coffee, confectionery products, chromium based pigments, electrical equipment and x ray equipment, while Colombia imported primarily petrochemical products. 
4.35.  Saudi Arabia is an active Member of the WTO, and also belongs to the Pan Arab Free Trade 
Area and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. Generally speaking, the regional agreements signed by Saudi Arabia are focused on the Arab countries and Europe, while others 
are being negotiated with Asian countries. We  wonder whether Saudi Arabia would study a 
possible extension of the current policy of trade negotiations towards other regions of the world. 
4.36.  Finally, we wish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia every success in its second Trade Policy 
Review and encourage it to continue its active role within the WTO. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  MEXICO 
4.37.  From 2011 to 2014, the period covered by this Review, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
remained the world's second largest producer and largest exporter of oil, and benefited from high oil prices at around US$100 per barrel. This en abled it to develop its economy with very 
impressive growth rates like the 10% rate record ed in 2011, and this dynamism carried over into 
such sectors as manufacturing, construction, transport and retail trade. 
4.38.  The trends in some economic variables were very stable: for example, inflation stayed at 
around 2.7%-3.7%, real and nominal interest rates remained very similar to those of 2010 and 
total unemployment at a rate of around 5.6%, while total public debt even declined from 5.4% of GDP in 2011 to 1.6% in 2014. 
4.39.  However, during the last quarter of 2014 oil prices began to plummet, reaching 
US$60 per barrel, a decline that further worsened in 2015 and early 2016, when they reached 
US$31.5 per barrel in February. 
4.40.  This has led to the onset of contrary trends to those of the previous four years. According to 
the International Monetary Fund, in 2016 GDP will grow at rates below 3%, with the ensuing 
decline of GDP per capita from US$24,000 to US$20,000 between 2014 and 2016. 
4.41.  It is estimated that in 2015 the budget deficit reached 19% of GDP, and while the country 
has large international reserves, according to some economists the price of oil will have to return 
to levels of US$100 per barrel to redress this situation. 
4.42.  Another topic that should require attention from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the speed at 
which domestic saving has declined, falling from 50% of GDP in 2011 to 26% in 2015, which will 
unquestionably have consequences for future growth. 
4.43.  Mexico recognizes the efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to improve various 
aspects of trade policy, including: 
 Eliminating the negative list of foreign investment in mining, petrochemicals, gas and 
telecommunications; however, we believe that certain services sectors could also benefit, 
such as the audiovisual sector. 
 Another important aspect is its accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Patent 
Law Treaty, which has without doubt given greater certainty to its legislation relating to intellectual property, with the result that patent applications increased five-fold during the period 2000 to 2013. 
 With respect to tariffs, it is noteworthy that 90%  of tariff lines carry a rate of 5% or less, 
with the result that Saudi Arabia has one of the simplest tariff structures. We also applaud the fact that it has not initiated or imposed any anti-dumping, countervailing or safeguard 
measures. 
4.44.  With regard to agriculture, while as the Secretariat report states there have not been any 
major changes in agricultural policy over the period, we think it is worth pointing out that the 
levels of aid in the amber and green boxes have declined in recent years. 
4.45.  As for services, particularly banking, owing to sound regulation by the authorities this sector 
was not greatly affected by the international financial crisis. Its total assets increased from US$377 billion in 2010 to US$568 billion in 2014, which represents more than three-quarters of 
GDP. However, the sector is very concentrated, with the six biggest banks accounting for 75% of 
these assets. 
4.46.  In conclusion, we wish to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its replies to our questions 
and convey our best wishes to its delegation for the successful conclusion of this Review. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  SINGAPORE  ON BEHALF  OF ASEAN 
4.47.  ASEAN and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have strong and cordial trade relations. Over the 
past 10 years, total trade between ASEAN and Sa udi Arabia has grown significantly, from about 
US$17 billion to nearly US$45 billion. Although the fluctuation in oil prices has had an impact on 
the ebb and flow of ASEAN's trade with Saud i Arabia, overall trade growth remains very 
encouraging, averaging at about 29% between 2010 and 2014.  
4.48.  At the WTO, Saudi Arabia has participated actively, such as through its contributions as a 
member of the Asia Group. ASEAN also commends Saudi Arabia for its transparent and simple 
tariff system and its intention to enhance its customs procedures with the view to facilitate trade. We hope that this will enable Saudi Arabia to soon accept the Trade Facilitation Agreement.  
4.49.  Some of us in ASEAN have submitted written questions to Saudi Arabia and we thank Saudi 
Arabia in advance for its written responses. We also express our thanks to Ambassador Abdolazeez 
Al Otaibi and his delegation for their constructive engagement with the ASEAN delegations here in Geneva. 
SINGAPORE 
4.50.  Singapore and Saudi Arabia share significant tr ade and investment linkages. Saudi Arabia is 
Singapore's second largest trading partner in the Middle East, with bilateral trade driven largely by 
trade in oil and refined petroleum. Singapore companies have also invested substantially in 
Saudi Arabia, especially in the sectors of infrastructure development and transport and logistics. These trade and investment linkages were further strengthened with the entry into force of the 
Gulf Cooperation Council–Singapore Free Trade Agr eement, or GSFTA, on 1 September 2013. This 
agreement is the GCC's first Free Trade Agreement outside the Middle-East, and continues to 
garner much interest from our businesses and traders. 
4.51.  It is thus with some concern that we note several problems in its implementation. Some of 
our exporters have encountered difficulties in ma king claims for preferential tariffs under the 
GSFTA at Saudi Arabia's customs ports. While the 1 April 2015 had been set as the target date for the resolution of this issue and the full implemen tation of the agreement,  problems persist. We 
urge Saudi Arabia to redouble efforts to ensure full implementation of the agreement, which would 
benefit all parties. Saudi Arabia is the only GCC member that has yet to formally recognize Singapore's MUIS Halal Standards, despite the GSFTA's requirement for GCC countries to enter 
into negotiations to do so. We hope that th ese issues will be resolved expeditiously.  
4.52.  Singapore welcomes Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its economy and move towards a 
knowledge-based economy under its Tenth Development Plan. This is particularly important with the current volatility in oil prices, and will also allow Saudi Arabia to fully tap on its immense 
potential, given the vastness of both its natural and human resources. We encourage Saudi Arabia 
to hasten its privatization efforts, and to take full advantage of the low oil prices to press on with its fuel subsidy reforms which would help to enhance competitiveness and market efficiency.  
4.53.  Finally, we note that Saudi Arabia has been an active and committed Member to the 
multilateral process since its accession in December 2005. It has commendably maintained a relatively low tariff regime and has avoided trade re medial measures. However, we note that it has 
lagged behind in some of its notification obligations, particularly on agriculture. We note also that 
Saudi Arabia has yet to ratify the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. We urge that the Saudi 
Government does so soon. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  AUSTRALIA 
4.54.  Australia welcomes the opportunity to participate in the Second Trade Policy Review of 
Saudi Arabia. Australia's friendly bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia is based on increasing people-to-people links, and substantial trade and investment activities.  
4.55.  Saudi Arabia and Australia enjoy a strong, growing trading relationship, with two-way trade 
in goods and services valued at nearly AUD2.5 billion in 2014-15. Saudi Arabia is a key market for Australian-produced motor vehicles and agricultural commodities. Australia is an important 
destination for Saudi Arabian students with over 10,000 students studying in Australian 
educational institutions in 2014.  
4.56.  Australia commends Saudi Arabia's efforts to im prove its investment environment, including 
through initiatives and programs launched by th e Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. 
Saudi Arabia was ranked 24th in the World Economic Forum 2014-15 Global Competitiveness 
Index and 49th in the World Bank's 2015 Doin g Business report. Implementation of these 
initiatives will continue to make Saudi Arabia a more competitive investment destination. Australia 
encourages efforts to streamline visa issuance so as to encourage travel and mutual familiarity 
between investors and businesses of the two countries. 
4.57.  Australia supports Saudi Arabia's efforts to continue economic and structural reforms. 
Continued trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation can be an important component of 
such reforms by encouraging long-term competitiveness and growth. Australia would also commend any new effort to facilitate, simplify and streamline procedures related to Custom's 
clearance, noting the various indicators of logistics performance and time taken for documentary 
compliance by importers of goods into Saudi Arabia. 
4.58.  Australia would welcome enhanced exchanges of  information with Saudi Arabia about SPS 
and TBT regulations and procedures by ensuring direct, government-to-government enquiries can 
be made to the relevant Saudi Arabian competent agencies.  
4.59.  Australia would welcome further information about Saudi Arabia's policy stance on Free 
Trade Agreements, including as a leading member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), noting 
that the GCC suspended all its GCC FTA negotiations in 2009 pending review. In this respect, we 
also note the pivotal role that Saudi Arabia plays in GCC affairs, including its Presidency of the GCC in 2016, and note that the GCC resumed FTA negotiations with China early this year. 
4.60.  Australia welcomes Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its economy through implementing 
measures from the Tenth Development Plan for 2015–2019. Australia recognizes Saudi Arabia's 
commitment to transforming into a knowledge economy, including though ensuring productive human capital and an active private sector. Australia notes Saudi Arabia's consideration of 
privatisation of government-owned companies as a way of generating revenue, increasing 
efficiency and encouraging private investment in Saudi Arabia. 
4.61.  Australia notes the recent announcement of the intention to implement a Value Added Tax 
(VAT) from 2018. This is a significant development in terms of diversifying taxation revenues, one 
which Australia itself undertook in July 2000 thro ugh the introduction of a 10% goods and services 
tax. 
4.62.  For this review, Australia has submitted a number of written questions relating to 
Saudi Arabia's trade, investment and taxation regime. We look forward to Saudi Arabia's response 
to these questions. 
CHINA 
4.63.  During the period under review, Saudi Ar abia has achieved remarkable economic 
development, its average GDP growth rate (5.3%) was one of the fastest among the G-20 countries. It is also commendable that Saudi Arabia's development strategy continued to center on 
a liberalized trade and investment regime. In particular, there are many new sectors such as 
mining, petrochemicals and telecommunications have opened to foreign investments since last review. At the same time, we also noticed that the decline in oil and gas prices has affected the WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  economy and government revenues of  Saudi Arabia in the last 2 years. We believe that embark 
upon wider diversification and lift the non-oil growth is the best solution for Saudi Arabia to tackle these challenges.  
4.64.  Last year marks the 10th anniversary of Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO. We are glad 
to see that Saudi Arabia has well integrated in th e multilateral trading system and started to take 
leadership role in many areas in the WTO. We appreciate the important role that Ambassador Al Otaibi played in the Arab Group and in this organization during the DDA negotiations and look 
forward to work closely with our Saudi colleagues in the future. 
4.65.  Turning to the bilateral front, the economic cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia has 
developed by leaps and bounds, with rich results in in various fields. Today, China is one of the largest trading partners of Saudi Arabia. The bilateral trade volume amounted to US$52 billion in 
2015. Two-way investment also flourished, by the end of 2015, the stock of China's direct 
investment in Saudi Arabia had reached US$2.6 billio n, Saudi Arabia's investment in China totalled 
US$1.5 billion. This remarkable development has well testified the complementarity of our bilateral 
economic relationship. 
4.66.  This January, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia. During the visit, both 
leaders agreed to further consolidate the bilateral cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia, 
and in particular, welcomed the restart of the China-GCC FTA negotiations. In this regard, we look 
forward to working closely with Saudi Arabia to reach a comprehensive and high-quality agreement within this year. 
4.67.  While encouraged by the development of the bilateral economic and trade relationship, 
China believes that there is still room for improvement regarding some of Saudi Arabia's trade 
policies, particularly on the transparency of the approving process on Halal certifications, and custom clearance procedures pertaining to rules of origins requirements.  
4.68.  China has raised some questions to Saudi Arabia and is grateful for the replies received, 
which we will study closely. 
THE
 SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU 
4.69.  The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu enjoy a close 
economic relationship with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is currently our 12th largest trading partner in the world, with US$9 billion worth of two-wa y trade between us in 2015. And, as our main 
provider of crude oil, Saudi Arabia is our 6th largest source of imports. On the basis of this already 
close relationship, we look forward to further strengthening and expanding cooperation on trade 
and investment in the future to the mutual benefit of both our economies. 
4.70.  According to the Secretariat report, between 2010 and 2014, Saudi Arabia was one of the 
fastest growing economies among the G-20 members,  with real GDP growth averaging 5.3% per 
year. We are also pleased to note the progress made since its last trade policy review in 2012 in implementing policies to liberalize trade and foreign investments.   
4.71.  Given the general turmoil in the global econom y and the current instability in the price of 
oil, it is encouraging to see Saudi Arabia seeking to diversify its economy in its Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019), both geographically into new sectors, and vertically through processing and manufacturing sectors linked to the oil and gas industries.  
4.72.  We also welcome the initiatives taken by Saudi Arabia to facilitate trade and foreign 
investment, in areas such as customs procedures, the protection of intellectual property rights, and in its investment in new cities and infrastructure. In general, the Kingdom's trade policy is 
quite clear and straightforward, and its average applied MFN rate is relatively low at 5.2%. 
However, we would urge Saudi Arabia to simplify its customs and licensing procedures still further by introducing perhaps a single window policy and possibly the Electronic Data Interchange 
system, which would allow import declarations to be submitted and processed online. Such 
measures will greatly facilitate trade and benefit the whole economy. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.73.  Saudi Arabia has played an active role in the DDA negotiations since its accession to the 
WTO in 2005 and as a fellow-member with us of th e Article XII Group, we look forward to further 
constructive engagement together in the negotiations that lie ahead. 
4.74.  With regard to the Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA), we welcome Saudi Arabia's 
submission of its Category A notification, and we look forward to the deposit of its instrument. In 
its WTO accession commitments, Saudi Arabia indicated its intention to start negotiations on its joining the Agreement on Government Procuremen t. We very much look forward to its early 
accession into the GPA family 
4.75.  Finally, I would just like to return to the subject of the recent plunge in oil prices, which has 
already led to Saudi Arabia running up a sizeable budget deficit due to the high level of public spending. According to the IMF Country Report last October, under the current policies, the 
country could be in danger of running out of financial assets in less than 5 years although it 
accumulated hundreds of thousands billions of do llars in the past. The need of developing 
sustainable non-oil revenue is therefore critical. We believe that the liberalization of its trade 
regime, with structural reforms and among others, that create a more friendly business 
environment, will help Saudi Arabia to reduce to diversify its economy away from fossil fuel industry and boost its economic competitiveness. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
4.76.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been one of the fastest growing economies among G-20 
countries between 2010 and 2014 and, despite the drop in oil prices since middle of 2014, its economic growth is estimated at 3.6% in 2015. The Kingdom remains the world's top oil exporter 
and producer, accounting, in 2014, for about 50% of GDP (83% of exports and 90% of 
government revenue). 
4.77.  The EU acknowledges that Saudi Arabia has continued its efforts and commitments to 
economic diversification, including diversification of exports and increasing trade's contribution to 
GDP. The country has also taken important step s to improve the investment climate and to 
facilitate business cooperation. It is positive that these efforts will continue in the future, as 
demonstrated by the Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019). 
4.78.  However, despite these long-term commitments, the EU notes that the Saudi economy 
remains very dependent on crude oil products export s and that the presence of the public sector in 
the economy is still high. In the EU's view, this could have serious repercussions. 
4.79.  The EU also notes that delays in payments under existing contracts between EU companies 
and the Saudi Government are increasingly commo n. These delays have reduced the Kingdom's 
attractiveness as a destination for EU foreign investment.  
4.80.  Therefore, we would invite the Kingdom of Sa udi Arabia to consider appropriate measures 
for further diversifying its economy, developing a strong private sector, and opening up to investment. These measures will further support ec onomic growth and employment, and also steer 
its economy towards sustainable energy sources.  
4.81.  A word on our bilateral relationship. The EU considers its trade relations with the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia to be very important. In 2015, the EU was the main trade partner of Saudi Arabia (first in terms of imports and 4th in terms of exports), while Saudi Arabia was the EU's 12th 
largest partner for trade in goods.  
4.82.  Formal relations between the EU and the Kingdom take place mostly in the context of the 
1988 EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Cooperation Agreement. This Agreement contained a 
commitment from all parties to enter into negotiations for a free trade agreement. Negotiations 
have started and been suspended several times since 1990; lately since 2008. The EU remains committed to concluding the EU-GCC Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Both sides are missing 
out on opportunities that would be created, should the FTA materialize.  
4.83.  At a multilateral level, the EU encourages the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to pursue its efforts 
for the quick implementation of the Trade Facili tation Agreement. In this context, the EU WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  acknowledges the notifications of its Category A commitments and is happy to learn that Saudi 
Arabia is pursuing its internal process toward rapid ratification of the Agreement, which represents a great step forward for international trade. 
4.84.  The EU would like now to raise a couple of concerns. 
4.85.  While the EU notes that a certain number of initiatives have been undertaken to facilitate 
trade and foreign investment, in the EU's view furt her efforts would be necessary, in particular in 
the following areas:  
4.86.  First, the procedures for importing and exporting are still too complicated. We would 
therefore invite the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take the necessary steps to clarify its customs importation processes, in particular with reference to TBT and SPS requirements.  
4.87.  Second, the prevailing local ownership requirements for investment and running businesses 
in Saudi Arabia continue to represent an obstacle for many. In particular, EU companies still 
encounter several impediments for obtaining a license by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority Board (SAGIA). The EU would therefore invite the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to streamline 
its procedures by moving towards a more expeditious and investor-friendly process. 
4.88.  Finally, the EU understands that the Saudization of the workforce, introduced in 2011 with 
the Nitaqat programme, is important in order to integrate more citizens into economic activity, 
especially considering the growing youth unemployment rates in the population. However, it is 
important to ensure that quotas, rules and procedures for such Saudization are predictable, transparent, and coherent and supported by a strong qualification and training scheme. 
4.89.  The EU is confident that this review will help the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in examining its 
policies so as to ensure that they are most favorable for attaining its economic objectives, while 
respecting its international commitments in this forum. 
4.90.  On behalf of the EU, I hope this review will be very beneficial and successful for the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
CANADA 4.91.  I would like to begin by acknowledging Saudi Arabia's impressive economic transformation 
over the last several decades. As any visitor to  Saudi Arabia would remark, the rapid development 
of that country is a real success story. The count ry is now at a turning point, and we applaud 
Saudi Arabia's continued efforts to divers ify its economy away from extractives.  
4.92.  Canada and Saudi Arabia maintain an ongoing dialogue on economic issues through the 
Canada-Saudi Arabia Joint Economic Commission, which met very recently. Canada has a 
longstanding and robust trading relationship with  the Kingdom and we look forward to partnering 
with Saudi Arabia as it continues to pursue broad based economic development. 
4.93.  As Saudi Arabia pursues its economic goals we hope that it continues to look to the WTO as 
a source of guidance. An increasingly diversified economy is one that will rely evermore on trade 
with the rest of the world. Adherence to WTO rules and regulations will ensure that this trade flows 
smoothly and at maximum benefit to Saudi Arabia and its trading partners. We commend Saudi 
Arabia on keeping tariffs on most products low, and generally providing a welcoming environment for foreign investment. Canada also notes Saudi Arab ia's continued work in other areas such as tax 
collection, which make the Kingdom an increasingly attractive market. 
4.94.  However, we note with concern the relative co mplexity of import and export procedures. We 
note that, according to the World Bank's annual report on the ease of doing business, Saudi Arabia ranks 150th out of 189 economies for trading across frontiers. The report notes that complying 
with regulations to export to Saudi Arabia takes considerably longer than other countries in the 
region. This continues to be of concern to Canadian businesses, and Canada encourages Saudi Arabia to ratify and implement the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) to help address 
these issues.  WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.95.  Canada welcomes the interest expressed by Saudi Arabia towards its eventual accession to 
the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and stands ready to assist the Kingdom as it conducts its study on the benefits of GPA member ship. We are pleased to note that Saudi Arabia 
has undertaken government procurement commitments similar to those found in the GPA as part 
of the free trade agreement between the Gulf Cooperation Council and EFTA countries. Canada is 
looking forward to working with Saudi Arabia as it fulfills its commitment to initiate negotiations for membership in the GPA as called for in its WTO accession protocol. 
4.96.  Saudi Arabia has pursued an open trade policy since it joined the WTO in 2005. We 
encourage it to continue in this direction through the progressive steps I have highlighted today related to trade facilitation and government procurement. 
DOMINICAN
 REPUBLIC 
4.97.  The most striking feature that emerges from the Secretariat report, and indeed the salient 
characteristic of the economy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is its high dependence on oil revenues. As a result, in 2014 the oil industry represented almost 50% of GDP, 83% of exports 
and 90% of government revenue. In the period 2010-2014, when oil prices were high, Saudi 
Arabia's economic growth was one of the strong est in the G 20 and GDP per capita increased to 
more than US$24,000. For much of this period, high oil revenues led to fiscal surpluses, total 
public debt declined to 1.6% of GDP and foreign exchange earnings at US$732 billion were almost 
the equivalent of GDP or three years of imports. There were also large trade in goods and current account surpluses. 
4.98.  As of 2014, when oil prices began to fall, ther e began to be a contrary process, where the 
decline in the value of exports meant that the current account surplus shrank by 43% (compared 
to 2013) to US$77 billion, and went into deficit in the first quarter of 2015; while the fiscal deficit for 2015 was expected to be equivalent to about 20% of GDP. 
4.99.  In order to reduce this dependence, according to the Government report, the Tenth 
Development Plan covering the period 2015 2019, reflects the Kingdom's aim to ensure sustainable economic development and improve the performance and competitiveness of its 
economy through developing the Government's structure and accelerating the pace of the 
Kingdom's transformation into a knowledge-bas ed economy. The key objectives of this 
Development Plan are: economic diversification, building a modern economic structure relying on a broad, diversified base of economic resources and characterized by a high degree of internal 
integration between its various sectors and activiti es; as well as transformation into a knowledge 
economy by 2030, with diversified resources driven  by productive human capital and an active 
private sector. At the same time the Plan aims to develop national human resources and addresses 
the issues and challenges which face the Saudi labour market so as to increase participation of 
Saudi nationals, particularly women, in economic activity. We urge the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 
continue along this path in order to achieve genuine diversification and transformation of its 
economy, thereby reducing its heavy dependence on  the oil industry and helping to modernize its 
labour market. 
4.100.  We note with interest that various measures have also been taken to improve the 
investment climate, such as removing mining, petrochemicals, gas and communications from the 
list of sectors in which foreign investment is not allowed. In addition, in August 2015 the Saudi 
Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) pub lished a manual setting out the requirements to 
qualify for a licence to invest and conduct business in Saudi Arabia, the corresponding licence fees, 
as well as the services available for different categories of investors. We congratulate the Kingdom 
of Saudi Arabia on these advances. 
4.101.  We also note with satisfaction that trade policy is quite straightforward and predictable, 
with very low tariffs, in general not exceeding 5%. However, the Secretariat report highlights that 
import and export procedures are complicated. In order to improve these procedures, we consider it to be very positive that various measures have been taken to simplify the fulfilment of customs formalities, including the electronic data exchange  system allowing for the electronic submission 
and processing of import declarations and the procedure for document checking prior to the arrival 
of merchandise (direct dispatch system), applied to specific products. Other measures are under study or being applied on a trial basis, such as the single window for customs procedures that is WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  being used in the custom office of the Islamic po rt of Jeddah. Improvements have also been made 
in the protection of intellectual property rights. 
4.102.  Finally, we have submitted questions to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concerning the 
investment regime, transparency of government  procurement, application of sanitary and 
phytosanitary measures, and provisions applicable to the tourism sector, among others, and we 
look forward to receiving the replies. 
UNITED  STATES 
4.103.  Saudi Arabia's economy currently faces many challenges, and the United States is proud to 
support Saudi Arabia's economic growth and reform efforts to overcome them. The United States and Saudi Arabia enjoy a broad, deep and robust friendship and partnership, with cooperation spanning a range of the economic and security is sues confronting the Middle East region and the 
world. 
4.104.  I am pleased to note that trade between the United States and Saudi Arabia has steadily 
increased since 2005, with bilateral two-way goods trade between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia 
reaching US$42 billion in 2015, and the stock of U.S. foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia was 
US$10.1 billion in 2014. 
4.105.  The United States continues to support Saudi Arabia's economic reforms and efforts to 
diversify its economy away from reliance on trade in traditional commodities, and our 
governments continue to explore various means of further enhancing our trade relations. Our governments also regularly consult with each other on issues of mutual importance and recognize the value of continued cooperation on a range of issues. We appreciate our ongoing cooperation 
with Saudi Arabia in all fora, including in the WTO. 
4.106.  While Saudi Arabia has reason to be pleased with the results of its economic reform efforts 
to date, some concerns remain, and the written questions that the United States submitted in the 
context of this TPR address some of those concerns. Many of the questions we pose today reflect 
our desire to encourage Saudi Arabia to move forward expeditiously on important WTO initiatives and commitments, including formally  ratifying and accepting the Trade Facilitation Agreement. We 
also urge Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council to complete the 
transparency review of its customs union, as provided for under WTO rules. 
4.107.  In addition, it is important that Saudi Arabia fulfill its commitment to begin accession 
negotiations for to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, in accordance with Saudi 
Arabia's 2005 Working Party Report. We strongly urge Saudi Arabia to begin its GPA accession by 
the end of April of this year and the United States stands ready to work with Saudi Arabia on its GPA accession. We also strongly encourage Saudi Arabia to join the recently concluded expansion 
of the Information Technology Agreement. These actions would be a good way for Saudi Arabia to 
work toward boosting its participation in the multilateral trading system, and we will be interested to hear the Government's plans in this regard. 
4.108.  Also related to government procurement, we understand that Saudi Arabia has recently 
instituted a change in policy that requires offsets in the form of domestic investment of 40% of the contract value for any awards over 400 million Saudi riyals. However, as of yet, no information seems to have been made public about how the offset program will be operationalized. We look 
forward to hearing from Saudi Arabia about the details of this program, including how investment 
proposals will be reviewed and approved, and whether there are any industries or sectors that are not covered by this policy. 
4.109.  The United States would also like to see Saudi Arabia continue to improve the adequacy 
and enforcement of IPR protection, including through the imposition of penalties that will deter copyright violations, action to increase the use of legal software within the Government and 
adequate protection for patented pharmaceutical products. 
4.110.  The United States urges Saudi Arabia to continue developing and expanding its efforts to 
ensure that technical regulations and standards are notified to WTO Members in draft form with enough advance notice that stakeholders have sufficient time to review and comment and that WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  Saudi authorities can take those comments into account before finalizing the regulation or 
standard. The United States has found that consultation with, and involvement by, all interested parties in the regulatory process leads to rules and regulations that better meet their objectives while minimizing trade distorting effects. U.S. fi rms are committed to ensuring that their products 
meet relevant Saudi – as well as those of the Gulf Cooperation Council – technical regulations in 
order to access the Saudi market. These businesses would like to avoid past instances where they were unaware of technical regulations in advance of implementation, leaving them with little or no 
time to modify their manufacturing processes. In addition, as the GCC reduces trade barriers, 
harmonizes regulations and increases transparency, we encourage Saudi Arabia to work with its GCC colleagues to accelerate that important work  in line, of course, with its WTO obligations. 
4.111.  In closing, I would like to emphasize that Saudi Arabia is a valued partner of the United 
States, and we congratulate Saudi Arabia for its efforts to develop a more open trade and 
investment regime. We believe that its continued adherence to the rules and principles of the WTO will bring Saudi Arabia a brighter future. We hope  that this discussion today will encourage Saudi 
Arabia's continuation of those policies and we look forward to continuing our work with Saudi 
Arabia to achieve those goals. 
CHILE 
4.112.  Last November 2015, Chile participated at the highest level, with the presence of H.E. the 
President of the Republic and the Minister of Energy, in the Fourth Summit of Arab and South 
American countries, held in the Saudi capital. Our attendant ambassador presented credentials in January of this year, so that we stand ready to continue advancing in our bilateral relationship. 
4.113.  During 2015 our trade grew by 10% compared with 2014, although there is still 
considerable room for growth. The number of Chilean enterprises exporting to the Saudi market increased by 10% over the same year, which is an interesting fact to bear in mind. In 2015, 
imports from Saudi Arabia were concentrated in the base metals sector, while our exports were 
primarily in the livestock and fruit, and forestry and wood furniture subsectors. 
4.114.  Looking at our trade relations in recent times, Chilean exports to Saudi Arabia have grown 
at an annual average rate of 5% in value terms over the period 2006 to 2015. This is positive, but 
we certainly hope to continue expanding trade between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chile. 
4.115.  For this Trade Policy Review we have su bmitted a number of questions concerning 
competition policy, technical standards and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, to which we look 
forward to receiving replies for analysis by our teams in Santiago. 
4.116.  With regard to the report before us, we note with great interest that Saudi Arabia is 
making efforts to diversify its economy in order to  reduce its dependence on oil, together with 
measures to facilitate trade and foreign investment. Thus, the Secretariat report highlights a 
considerable increase in the construction sector's contribution to the economy. 
4.117.  We welcome the progress in policy relating to intellectual property rights, such as the 
recent accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty, whose purpose is to promote the 
internationalization of innovation throughout the world, by facilitating trade. 
4.118.  With regard to agricultural policy, we were particularly interested in the programmes for 
more efficient use of resources, in particular water, which is essential for agriculture and indeed for 
life. Likewise, we applaud the measures to increase the percentage of economically active women. 
4.119.  Saudi Arabia is facing the challenges of a changing economy by taking measures that 
enable it to adapt the changes, and introducing diff erent ways of facilitating and boosting its trade, 
some of which we have mentioned. 
4.120.  We are sure that Saudi Arabia will continue both to advance in its trade policies and also to 
contribute to advancing the work of this Organization. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  REPUBLIC  OF KOREA 
4.121.  Saudi Arabia became the fourth largest trading partner of Korea in 2014. As the Korea's 
largest petroleum supplier, Saudi Arabia has played a key role in Korea's economic growth. Korea has also contributed to the economic development of Saudi Arabia by participating in building 
infrastructure such as highways, harbours and plants. 
4.122.  Although bilateral trade decreased in 2015 due to  the decline of oil prices, I believe that 
both countries will continue to strengthen the comprehensive economic partnership based on close 
economic relations developed so far. 
Korea's comment on the trade policies of Saudi Arabia 4.123.  Turning to the report on the trade policies of Saudi Arabia, it is noted that Saudi Arabia 
continues to rely on its oil production despite its seeking to diversify its economy. The current 
macroeconomic indicators of Saudi Arabia also show how its economy and fiscal situation are 
vulnerable to the price of oil.  
4.124.  In this regard, Korea would like to encourage Saudi Arabia to continue its effort to diversify 
its economy geographically, vertically in sectors linked to oil, and into new industry sectors under 
its 10th Development Plan.  
4.125.  Korea, as a close economic partner, would like to join Saudi Arabia in this effort. I believe 
that both countries can expand economic cooperation into promising sectors such as nuclear and 
renewable energy, and the service industry  including health and medical care.  
Korea's concern on the trade policies of Saudi Arabia 4.126.  I would like to take this opportunity to express a concern on the trade measures of 
Saudi Arabia.  
4.127.  In last December, the GCC Secretariat in Saudi Arabia decided to initiate anti-dumping 
investigations on five Korean companies exporting automobile batteries. Although the 
investigations are currently underway, we hope Saudi Arabia conducts its investigation in careful 
consideration of the following facts.  
4.128.  First, there is no cause-and-effect relationship between the import of Korean products and 
actual damages to domestic manufacturers in Saudi Arabia. Second, battery manufacturers in 
Saudi Arabia do not have sufficient production capacity to meet the domestic demand, and therefore the imposition of countervailing duties is likely to cause a contraction of the battery 
market and infringe on consumers' rights.  
Closing remarks 
4.129.  It is our hope that Saudi Arabia will continue to constructively participate in strengthening 
the WTO multilateral trading system. In this context, we encourage Saudi Arabia to facilitate its 
domestic procedure for the acceptance of the Trad e Facilitation Agreement. We also hope that 
favorable consideration could be given to Saudi Arabia for joining GPA and ITA expansion. 
NEW
 ZEALAND 
4.130.  New Zealand has a longstanding trading relati onship with the Kingdom, underpinned by 
growing political and economic linkages and architecture. New Zealand is a strong supporter of the WTO and believes that the Trade Policy Review process is a valuable mechanism through which countries can share and exchange views on best practice in trade policy, while considering and 
reflecting on the systemic implications – both positive and negative – of particular policy 
approaches. 
4.131.  It is against this background that we have reflected on the Secretariat's report. A key 
feature of New Zealand's trade and economic relationship with Saudi Arabia is the yet to be 
finalized Free Trade Agreement with  the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a core WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  Participant. Once finalized, the Free Trade Agreement will both greatly ease trade restrictions and 
boost bilateral trade flows. This Agreement will underpin wider bilateral cooperation in food security, Halal certification, and across a range of sectors including investment, education, agriculture, construction, and high-tech services. 
4.132.  Export education is an important foundation for New Zealand's relationship with 
Saudi Arabia. We welcome thousands of Saudi st udents annually to New Zealand universities, 
schools and training establishments. 
4.133.  The Secretariat's review underlines Saudi Arabia's continued commitment to continue to 
work with and through the WTO to achieve its economic goals. 
4.134.  We recognize that at present, Saudi Arabia is facing a number of economic and political 
challenges in the region. In this regard, Saudi Arabia has demonstrated regional leadership and 
continues to be an influential economic power within the region as well as more broadly, including 
within the G20. 
4.135.  A heavy reliance on petroleum exports, and falling oil revenues, has underpinned the need 
for economic reforms and diversification. We congratulate the Kingdom on the wide range of 
initiatives undertaken in recent years to diversify its economy and introduce social and economic reforms under the leadership of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal 
Highness Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This is an important potential watershed in 
the economy's development.  
4.136.  We applaud the fact that Saudi Arabia has responded to the economic challenges it faces 
by pressing for greater economic liberalisation, a more open economy, and privatization, in order 
to drive greater efficiencies. We welcome in particular Saudi Arabia's privatization of airports and 
navigations a positive initial step towards freeing up the air transport market. We encourage further steps in this regard. 
4.137.  Coupled with positive environmental policies including a focus on renewable energy, 
reducing the reliance of Saudi Arabia's agricultural sector on precious and increasingly scarce water resources, and a reduction in fuel subsidies, the changes Saudi Arabia is introducing promise 
a more sustainable – and we hope ultimately wealthier and fairer – domestic economy. We would 
encourage Saudi Arabia to continue this positive trend, including additional measures to further reduce fossil fuel subsidies in the Kingdom, and we would encourage Saudi Arabia to actively consider using the G20 peer review process on fossil fuel subsidies to highlight both its reforms to 
date and to inform further progress in this regard. We also welcome Saudi Arabia's continuing 
support for the G20's agenda and commitments to date on this important topic. 
4.138.  The range of questions New Zealand has posed as part of the Trade Policy Review reflect 
New Zealand's interest in an open and transparent tax system, development of high-return and 
sustainable agricultural practices, greater relianc e on renewable energy, and ensuring sustainable 
practices in developing natural resources, part icularly fisheries. These are all areas where 
Saudi Arabia has focused reforms in recent years and we look forward to hearing more about how 
Saudi Arabia is dealing with these areas and continued intensive progress in this regard. 
4.139.  We hope that Saudi Arabia will find this review to be useful in its reform efforts and its 
greater engagement with the international tradin g system through the WTO. We look forward to 
learning more about Saudi Arabia's reforms and the mechanisms it is putting in place to diversify 
its economy, and also to working with Saudi Arabia in this and other fora, including our negotiations here at the WTO. 
KENYA 
4.140.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a key business and commercial trade partner of Kenya. 
The relationship between the two countries which was heightened during early 19th Century 
continues to persist to date. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Kenya 37 years 
ago, bilateral relations between the two countries have consistently developed and strengthened.  WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.141.  There have been exchanges of visits by high level dignitaries from both sides. Our former 
Head of State, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, visited Saudi Arabia in March 2007 when he attended the 19th Conference of the Arab League Summit in Riyadh. This was followed by the recent visit by high level delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led by Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed. 
During the visit bilateral discussions were held in a number of areas including ways of enhancing 
coordination and cooperation on regional and international issues of mutual concern. 
4.142.  The Saudi Fund for Development has been the main channel through which Saudi Arabia's 
bilateral aid has been delivered to Kenya. A num ber of projects in Kenya have benefited from 
Saudi Fund for Development particularly in priority sectors such as infrastructure, water, health, and education  
4.143.  Trade between the two countries has steadily been growing overtime. In 2014, 
Saudi Arabia was the 8th largest source of Kenya's imports whose valued stood at KES 28 billion. 
The main imports from Saudi Arabia included crude oil and petroleum products. Exports from Kenya to Saudi Arabia have also continued to grow both in volume and value and they include 
meat products, dairy products, coffee, tea and fruits. 
4.144.  New links have been emerging, such as immigration of Kenyans to the Middle East in 
search of both formal and informal job opport unities. It is estimated that about 20,000 Kenyans 
are living and working in Saudi Arabia. 
4.145.  We note from the reports for the review that trade continues to play an important role 
towards economic growth and development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, reliance on 
exports of oil continues to poses challenges to su stained growth mainly due to the current decline 
in international oil prices and instability in the region.  
4.146.  We encourage the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to sustain its efforts in liberalizing trade and 
improving investment climate. We are glad to note that several steps have been taken to improve 
investment climate in a number of sectors where foreign investment was not required. We 
consider such steps being important in diversifying  and sustaining the growth of the economy. We 
also welcome steps that have been undertaken to facilitate trade and which include simplification 
of customs procedures and efforts towards implementing single window for customs procedures. 
We are also looking for expeditious conclusion of th e process of ratification of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement. 
4.147.  Regional integration continues to be an important trade policy instrument for Saudi Arabia. 
We share the views of Saudi Arabia that regional  trade agreements can complement and reinforce 
the multilateral trading system and help deepen the integration of its economy into global marketplace. 
4.148.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a strong supporter of the WTO multilateral trading 
system as demonstrated by the active participatio n in the work of the WTO by the delegation of 
Saudi Arabia here in Geneva led by Ambassador Abdolazeez Al Otaibi and his team at the Mission. 
Kenya appreciates the support and close collaboration we have had from the delegation of 
Saudi Arabia particularly on issues of mutual interest in the WTO. 
4.149.  Finally, my delegation has submitted questions to the delegation of Saudi Arabia and look 
forward for responses. We wish the delegation of Saudi Arabia a successful trade policy review. 
ECUADOR 
4.150.  Ecuador is participating with great interest in this Trade Policy Review, as our bilateral 
relations have been strengthening through the visits of high authorities such as that made to 
Ecuador by the Under Secretary of Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi 
Arabia, less than a year ago, to agree on measures to facilitate trade, technical cooperation, investment and cultural exchanges between the two countries in order to take advantage of their 
respective strengths and potential. This is part of the Ecuadorian Government's policy of 
diversifying its international relations through interaction with other major actors on the world scene. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.151.  Another mechanism that has made it possible to strengthen relations is that of the 
Summits of Heads of State and Government of So uth American and Arab countries (ASPA), which 
seek to bring our positions closer together, as re flected in the signing of mutually advantageous 
regional agreements. Indeed, at the Fourth Summit held in Riyadh in November last, the President 
of Ecuador and the King of Saudi Arabia laid the foundations for the opening of our respective 
embassies in the two countries. 
4.152.  With respect to the Secretariat report, we no te that the economy of Saudi Arabia, which 
remains dependent on oil production, has been affected by the ending of the period of high prices 
in 2014, although the low level of its public debt  and high level of reserves, of approximately 
267 billion barrels, give it some fiscal room. 
4.153.  W e  a l s o  n o t e  v a r i o u s  d i f f i c u l t i e s  t h a t  h a v e  a f f e c t e d  S a u d i  A r a b i a ' s  e c o n o m y ,  w h i c h  a r e  
mentioned in the Secretariat report. While the country has a straightforward trade policy and 
tariffs for most products are low, import and ex port procedures are complex. Ecuador recognizes 
that, in order to deal with this situation, Saudi Arabia has adopted a number of measures aimed at 
streamlining customs procedures, including an el ectronic data exchange system enabling the 
submission and processing of import declarations. We hope that the measures currently under study or being applied on a trial basis, as in the case of the single window for customs procedures, 
will prove successful and will soon be implemented. 
4.154.  In addition, it is important to highlight, on the positive side, the implementation of the 
Tenth Development Plan through which the Governme nt aims to carry out geographical, sectoral 
and vertical diversification of the economy through processing and manufacturing activities in 
sectors related to the petroleum and gas industry. 
4.155.  Ecuador also recognizes the contribution made to Saudi Arabia's economy by the 
construction sector, which has grown considerably over recent years thanks to the public and 
private projects undertaken. 
4.156.  Moreover, among Saudi Arabia's achievements mentioned in the Secretariat report is 
progress in the implementation of the Competitio n Law as amended in 2014, leading to changes in 
penalties. Thus, offenders must refund th e gains obtained through such violations. 
4.157.  In conclusion, we wish to convey our thanks to the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia for their replies to the questions we submitted on some specific aspects of trade policy, which will provide important information for strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations in the 
field of foreign trade. 
THAILAND 4.158.  Thailand would like to associate itself with the ASEAN's statement previously delivered by 
Ambassador Ms. Yee Woan Tan of Singapore.   
4.159.  Saudi Arabia and Thailand have a long-standing trade relation. During the past year, 
Saudi Arabia ranked Thailand's 16th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade value stood at 
US$7.8 billion. Saudi Arabia ranked as our 21st export destination and 11th import source. 
Although our bilateral trade has declined in recent years due to the slow-down of the global economy, we hope that our strong trade relation will help enhance these statistical numbers in the near future.  
4.160.  We congratulate Saudi Arabia's healthy economic growth during the 2011–2014 period, 
averaging 3.87% per year. We are pleased with Saudi Arabia for its transparent and simple tariffs system and its intention to enhance its customs procedures through the introduction of the 
Electronic Data Interchange system, and the pre-a rrival document verification procedure, and the 
implementation of pilot project for the single window for customs procedures.  
4.161.  In this review, Thailand submitted a number of questions to Saudi Arabia, covering the 
policies and measures of our interests regarding Investment policies, competition policy, 
immigration policy, and investment and movement of natural persons in the construction sector. We look forward to Saudi Arabia's  responses, for which we will st udy carefully with great interest. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.162.  In conclusion, Thailand would like to express its appreciation to the Saudi Arabian 
delegation for today's presentation. We are thankful for the cooperation with Saudi Arabia in every level, including that between our Geneva-based delegations. We wish Saudi Arabia every success in this trade policy review. 
ARGENTINA 
4.163.  We highlight the strong economic growth of Sa udi Arabia with a real GDP growth averaged 
5.3% annually between 2010 and 2014.  As this was primarily due to the increase of oil prices and 
production, it is true that there are immediate economic risks of sustained lower oil prices, and the 
instability in the region leading to lower consumption and higher unemployment. 
4.164.  This is why we recognize Saudi Arabia's efforts to enhance economic diversification, 
reflected, for example, with its Tenth Development Plan (2015-19). We hope that this strategy 
focused on a vertical, horizontal and spatial diversification helps to increase employment in Saudi 
Arabia. 
4.165.  It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia's efforts to increase employment of its nationals and 
females are also pursued through other programmes such as the Nitaqat programme. As 
mentioned in the Secretariat Report
8, it is noted that the so-called "Saudization" of the economy 
established by the Nitaqat programme which se ts quotas for Saudi national employees in 
percentages arranged by sectors, in some cases has had an impact on the costs for foreign 
companies. Therefore, we would appreciate if  Saudi Arabia could detail the degree of 
implementation of Nitaqat, its impact on employme nt of Saudis and, if any, conclusions about its 
possible revision against the higher costs imposed on foreign companies. 
4.166.  The impact on foreign investment of programmes such as the Nitaqat has an important 
role when diversifying an economy that has been traditionally focused on oil revenues. This is very important for Saudi Arabia because, as mentioned by the Secretariat report
9, if oil prices do not 
recover in the medium-term, the Government may be forced to establish a fiscal consolidation plan 
to be able to sustain its growth objectives. In this respect, Argentina would appreciate if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could inform Members if there is already a plan of fiscal consolidation and 
specify what would be the objectives and sectors concerned. 
4.167.  We welcome other efforts made by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy and, as it was 
mentioned by the Secretariat in its report
10, the Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019) aims to 
develop and enhance the role of non-hydrocarbon sectors. We kindly request the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia to inform Members the specific measures included in the new Development Plan to diversify 
the economy. 
4.168.  Members were also informed11 that the Tenth Development Plan highlights the need to 
develop a regulatory framework to channel private sector investment in line with development 
priorities. In this sense, it would be appreciated if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could detail what 
the regulatory framework to be implemented und er the Tenth Development Plan, consists of. 
4.169.  Through these important exercises of trade polic y reviews, we have been able to learn the 
importance of foreign investment in the growth of economies. This is why we have noticed with consideration what the Secretariat mentioned
12 about Saudi Arabia still maintaining a negative list 
for foreign investments, which is periodically revised and is subject to approval by the Economic 
and Development Affairs Council. It is also noted that since the last review, the negative list has 
been amended and some sectors have been removed. Thus, we would appreciate if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could explain the criteria by which the sectors in which foreign investment is 
prohibited are reviewed. 
                                               
8 Paragraphs 3 and 18 of the Summary of document WT/TPR/S/333 and paragraph 1.7 of the same 
document. 
9 Paragraph 1.11 of document WT/TPR/S/333. 
10 Paragraphs 2.13 and 2.14 of document WT/TPR/S/333. 
11 Paragraph 2.17 of document WT/TPR/S/333. 
12 Paragraph 2.37 of document WT/TPR/S/333. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.170.  The Secretariat report13 refers to the registration of food importers with the SFDA and to 
an evaluation that the establishments that wish to supply meat and poultry meat to Saudi Arabia must go through. Argentina would appreciate if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could detail the procedures required to import these products. And, in particular, if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
could explain what establishm ent evaluations consist of. 
4.171.  We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
mentioned in its report
14 that one of the six key commitments of the Kingdom in its growth 
strategy is to "shift to greater private sector funding and management of investment through 
PPS". Likewise, the Secretariat report15 also mentions "at least 30% of the value of the contract 
must be sub-contracted to wholly Saudi-owned companies". It is noteworthy to mention that the issue of public private partnerships was the main topic discussed during the Jeddah Economic 
Forum that took place between 1 and 3 March 2016. In this sense, we would appreciate if the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could explain the measures taken by the authorities aimed at enabling all foreign companies to set up their offices in the Kingdom without need for a local partner as was 
the case until 2015 when it was announced that at least U.S. companies will be exempted from the 
requirement of a Saudi business partner. 
4.172.  Argentina welcomes the opening of the stock exchange, called Tadawul, for foreign 
investment, as it was mentioned by Saudi Arabia
16 and the Secretariat17 in their reports. In this 
context, we would appreciate if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could explain (as regards the measures in force since 15 June 2015) if it has produced positive effects on investment and transparency, or if it is still in a stage of preliminary assessment? 
4.173.  Finally, the Argentinean Republic notes with great interest Saudi economic and trade 
development. In this respect, we value any init iative undertaken to facilitate trade, such as 
customs procedures measures. 
4.174.  The Argentinean Republic wishes to continue working together with the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia in search of strengthening our bilateral ti es, and we offer our best efforts to enhance our 
relations in the areas of agriculture, science and technology, and health. 
MALAYSIA 
4.175.  Malaysia is pleased to participate in this second Trade Policy Review of the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia and associates ourselves with the st atement delivered earlier by Singapore on behalf 
of ASEAN.  
4.176.  Malaysia and Saudi Arabia enjoy a close bilateral economic relation through the years. Our 
bilateral trade for the last five years grew at an average of over 6.3%. The trend however was interrupted last year as our bilateral trade contracted by almost 16% due to the decline in trade of 
some major products including petroleum oil. We nevertheless remain committed to improve and 
diversify trade and investment between the two countries. 
4.177.  In terms of investment, more than 15 projects with Saudi Arabia's participation had been 
implemented in Malaysia with a total investment of US$1.7 billion. It is also worth noting that 
some prominent companies like Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi Kayan Petrochemical have established global trading headquarters in Malaysia, providing some 3000 job opportunities. Similarly, Malaysian companies are also actively investing in Saudi Arabia, particularly in chemical, food 
manufacturing as well as electronics and electrical sectors.  
4.178.  At the multilateral front, Malaysia appreciates Saudi Arabia's firm commitment to a rules-
based and transparent trading system. It is commendable that despite the challenges faced by the 
country as a recently acceded Member, Saudi Arabia remains fully committed in implementing her 
wide-ranging WTO commitments. Malaysia takes this opportunity to thank H.E. Ambassador Dr Abdolazeez Al Otaibi for his continued dedication to the task and we look forward to working 
                                               
13 Paragraphs 3.73 and 3.74 of document WT/TPR/S/333. 
14 Paragraph 6.2 of document WT/TPR/G/333. 
15 Paragraph 3.125 of document WT/TPR/S/333. 
16 Paragraph 4.56 of document WT/TPR/G/333. 
17 Paragraphs 4.6, 4.96 and 4.101 of document WT/TPR/S/333. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  closely with Saudi Arabia to achieve concrete deliverables ahead of the Ministerial Conference next 
year, in particular in areas of interest to developing countries. We look forward to the ratification of the Trade facilitation Agreement soon by Saudi Arabia.  
4.179.  The economic performance of Saudi Arabia since joining the WTO in 2005 has been 
impressive and we hope that it will continue on a path of sustained economic growth. We wish 
Saudi Arabia success in her goals of achieving higher growth rates, enhanced productivity and competitiveness, improving the standard of living of her people, developing human resources, 
diversifying its economic base and meeting the challenges of infrastructure development, 
education and health services.  
4.180.  Malaysia has submitted a series of questions in writing and we look forward to receiving 
the response. I wish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a productive and successful second Trade Policy 
Review. 
BRAZIL 4.181.  It is a matter of particular satisfaction for Brazil to participate in the second Trade Policy 
Review of Saudi Arabia. 
4.182.  I am pleased to note that since its Accession to the WTO in 2005, Saudi Arabia has been 
strongly committed to the Multilateral Trading System, as well as to promoting the diversification 
of its economy. Such commitments are even more relevant in the current scenario, in which the 
lower prices of strategic commodities pose a challenge to many developing countries whose economies rely on the exports of those products.  
4.183.  In this regard, Brazil highlights Saudi Arabia's Tenth Development Plan, which aims not 
only at enhancing the diversification of economic activity, but also to promote the transition 
towards a knowledge-based economy by attracting investment, improving labor productivity and developing small and medium enterprises, only to mention some of its main objectives. The Saudi 
Government has recently announced a comprehensive privatization program of airports, ports, 
roads and railroads and could benefit from the experience and information sharing with Brazil because we have been conducting similar program since the 1990s. Brazil also understands that 
measures undertaken by the Saudi government in order to increase female participation in the 
workforce, as mentioned in the Secretariat report, are to be praised and play an important role in 
its strategy to guarantee employment to Saudi nationals under the Nitaqat programme.  
4.184.  In November last year, the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, paid a visit to 
Riyadh in order to participate in the IV Arab-South American Countries Summit. On that occasion, 
Minister Vieira said that countries of both regions should bear in mind the objective of liberalizing international trade within the WTO. He also recalled that Arab and South American countries had 
decided in 2005 to work together in order to promote a fairer and more balanced international 
trading system as well as to promote democratization of international organizations so as to enhance the voice of developing countries. 
4.185.  Turning now to the bilateral front, it is worth mentioning that Brazil is the 10th largest 
exporter to Saudi Arabia, and the 8th largest de stination of exports from Saudi Arabia. On the 
other hand, it is important to note that our bilateral trade reflects both economies' over-dependence on commodities. From 2005 to 2011, our trade increased 158%, and reached 
US$6.57 billion. Since then, however, it has ex perienced a continued decline, which can be 
attributed in part to the falling prices of th e main export products of both countries.  
4.186.  Last year, bilateral trade reached US$4.66 billion, a non-negligible value, but certainly far 
beyond its peak and potential. If prices of crude oil, which is Brazil's main import from Saudi 
Arabia, fell more than 50% in the last five years, the situation of some of the main Brazilian products exported to the Saudi market such as poultry, iron ore, sugar corn/maize and soya is no 
different. The impact of the volatility of commodity prices on our trade only confirms that we need 
to diversify it.  
4.187.  In the case of Brazilian exports to Saudi Arabia, we understand that there is room for an 
increase in the short-term of the share of manufac tured goods. But it is important that companies WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  of both countries take advantage of this context in order to pursue long-term partnerships. This is 
certainly the case of bilateral investments between Brazil and Saudi Arabia. At this point in time, we have identified 16 Saudi groups investing in Brazil and 5 Brazilian companies investing in Saudi Arabia in all fields of economic activity, from agriculture to IT, from chemicals to construction of 
low cost housing. As a result, the Brazilian Government has identified Saudi Arabia as a priority 
partner and last December proposed the negotiation of an Agreement on Cooperation and Facilitation of Investments which is now under evaluation of Saudi Arabian General Investment 
Authority (SAGIA). 
4.188.  I would also like to express our appreciation to the Saudi government for its hospitality 
during the visit of our Minister of Agriculture, Ká tia Abreu, who also visited Riyadh last November. 
It was a very important opportunity to reiterate to the Saudi authorities information regarding the 
quality of Brazilian meat and for the resumption of our exports to such an important market with 
the official announcement by Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) of the end to the temporary ban on imports of beef and beef products impose d in December 2013. In that year alone Brazil 
had exported US$167 million worth of beef and beef products to Saudi Arabia. It is also important 
to notice that Brazilian companies have a recognized expertise in processing meat with halal certificate, and that it comprises almost half of our exports to Saudi Arabia, amounting to more 
than US$1.4 billion in 2013. 
4.189.  I would like to conclude my statement by saying that despite the challenges posed to both 
our economies by the volatility of commodity pric es, it is clear that it enhances the need and 
opportunity to reinforce greater diversification of activities in Saudi Arabia and Brazil. We are 
certain that the Saudi Government will continue to pursue its development goals, and we are also 
confident that this will lead to a more balanced trade not only between Brazil and Saudi Arabia, but also between Saudi Arabia and all its WTO partners. 
MONTENEGRO 
4.190.  The fact that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was the second largest oil producer and the 
largest exporter of oil in the world in 2014 reflec ts and explains most of her achievements and 
challenges facing the country and its economy. Montenegro would like to commend Saudi Arabia 
on achieving a gross domestic product increase  from US$526.00 billion to US$746 billion between 
the years 2010–2014. In addition, economic growth  was one of the fastest in the G-20, and GDP 
per capita increased to more than US$24,000, which are all impressive results. 
4.191.  In agreement with the Secretariat and many previous speakers, we recognize that looking 
forward the immediate economic risks to growth are sustained lower oil prices, and instability in the region, leading to lower consumption and higher unemployment. The country's authorities are 
cognizant of these challenges and have tried to  address them through the successive Development 
Plans, maintaining overall macroeconomic stability. 
4.192.  Montenegro notes that under the Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019), the Government is 
seeking to diversify the economy geographically, into new sectors, and vertically through 
processing and manufacturing, developing production  and service activities linked to oil and gas. 
Montenegro will continue to follow closely the Kingdom's efforts to diversify economic activities in non-oil sectors, including financial, tourism, transport, engineering, and communication and 
information technology (IT) services.  
4.193.  My delegation notes with appreciation that Government expenditures on education and 
training are increasing, including the introduction of the Hafiz program, and providing financial 
support for people searching for employment, pa rticularly women. We are encouraged by the 
findings of the Secretariat with regard to female employment reporting on eased regulations, more sectors opened for their employment, and we hope this trend continues. 
4.194.  Montenegro recognizes the commitments that Saudi Arabia has to the multilateral trading 
system and regional integration. In this regard, Montenegro notes that in addition to its World 
Trade Organization commitments, Saudi Arabia co ntinues its strong support for the efforts to 
conclude the Doha Development Agenda negotiatio ns. We reiterate our hope that membership will 
take key steps forward in the coming months based on the decisions taken by all members at the WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  Tenth Ministerial Conference, and with the necessary flexibility and openness for the new 
approaches in the negotiation process. 
4.195.  Bilateral relations between our two countries have stabile and positive development with 
possibilities to increase and broaden our economic cooperation. The Government of Montenegro 
and our business community stands ready to intensify discussion on the vast range of 
opportunities including project "water for oil", cooperation in agricultural, construction services and information technology and further facilitate trade and investments with partners from Saudi 
Arabia. 
4.196.  Finally, Montenegro is looking forward to continuing excellent and constructive 
engagement with the delegation of Saudi Arabia in Geneva and my distinguished colleague Ambassador Al Otaibi and his team.  
PAKISTAN 
4.197.  It is an honor to speak at this second trade policy review of Saudi Arabia, for Pakistan and 
Saudi Arabia share special relationship. Bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 
and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are historically close and extremely friendly. Major Pakistani city 
of Lyallpur was renamed Faisalabad in honor of King Faisal in 1977. 
4.198.  The two countries have developed a very good commercial and geo-strategic relationship, 
and have sought to develop extensive commercial, cultural, religious, political, and strategic 
relations since the establishment of Pakistan in 1947. Pakistan affirms its relationship with Saudi Arabia as their most "important bilateral partnership".  
4.199.  Saudi Arabia has been supportive and has extended help to Pakistan at critical times, when 
Pakistan faced economic challenges and natural disasters.  
4.200.  Pakistan having a large Muslims population, and Saudi Arabia being the largest country in 
the Arab peninsula and home of the two most religious holiest cities of Islam; Mecca Mukaramah 
and Madina Monawarah, the destination of all Muslim pilgrims from all over the world, this 
reinforce the strong ties between the two countries.   
4.201.  Pakistanis national are contributing to the work force of in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 
there more than 1 million Pakistanis living and working in Saudi Arabia. Their remittances are a 
major source of foreign currency for Pakistan.  
4.202.  Saudi Arabia is the largest source of petroleum and related products for Pakistan. It also 
provides extensive economic assistance to Pakistan. In recent years, both countries have 
exchanged high-level delegations and developed pl ans to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, 
education, real estate, tourism, information technology, communications and agriculture 
4.203.  On bilateral trade, Saudi Arabia is among th e top 15 export partners of Pakistan and the 
bilateral trade volume is more than US$4 billion per year and a further increase in the future is 
expected. 
4.204.  Since the last review, despite the heavy reliance of the economy of Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia on oil production, the Government has made a significant effort to diversify its 
product mix as far as exports are concerned. In the period 2010-2014, economic growth was one of the fastest in the G-20, and GDP per capita in creased to more than US$24,000. For most of this 
period, there were fiscal surpluses and total public  debt declined to 1.6% of GDP while foreign 
exchange reserves, at US$732 billion, were almost the equivalent of GDP or 3 years of imports. 
4.205.  The Government's efforts at diversifying its export mix and reducing its expenditures are 
commendable, while trying to overcome the challeng es and adverse effects of decline in Oil Price. 
Furthermore, several steps were taken to improve the investment climate by opening several 
sectors to foreign investments, namely mining, petrochemicals, gas, and communications, these 
actions are commendable. As well as the process to improve and simplify Customs procedures is 
also an important step taken by the Government.  WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.206.  Pakistan commends the emphasis given to the diversification and job creation in successive 
Development Plans. Under the tenth Development Plan (2015-2019), the Government is seeking to diversify the economy into new sectors, particularly through processing and manufacturing in sectors linked to oil and gas.  
4.207.  Pakistan warmly welcomes the initiatives to overcome the gender gap issue, by increasing 
female participation in the workforce.  
4.208.  Since the last review in 2012, applied tariffs remained unchanged at 5% on nearly 80% of 
tariff lines; duty free on another 11%. Saudi Ar abia has never conducted proceedings or applied 
any contingency measures.  
4.209.  Despite the global slowdown, it seems that th e Government is cognizant of the challenge 
and has acted accordingly by undertaking a large number of initiatives to facilitate trade and 
foreign investment, including in customs procedures and in other areas mentioned in the report, 
such as protection of intellectual property rights, and investment in new cities and in infrastructure. 
4.210.  The delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  very ably led by H.E. Dr Abdolazeez Al 
Otaibi has been playing a critical and highly positive role at WTO, Dr Otaibi has chaired number of 
different Bodies at the WTO, and played a vibr ant role as coordinator of the Arab Group. 
INDIA 
4.211.  In the period 2010-2014, Saudi Arabia was one of the fastest growing economies among 
the G-20 members. However, subsequent decline in the oil prices beginning 2014 and weak global demand and output has impacted its economic pe rformance and brought pressure on government 
finances. We note that the fiscal deficit for 2015 is expected to be about 20% of the GDP.  
4.212.  Recognizing global economic headwinds, Saudi Arabia has continued to take steps, 
including through new legislations, to improve its investment climate, to focus on ease of doing 
business, pursue diversification strategies and to op en up certain key economic  activities to foreign 
investments. Saudi Arabia remains the largest recipient of FDI in the Arab world. Through successive development plans, diversification of the production base from oil production has been 
a consistent objective but, as noted in the Secretariat report, the large reserves and low 
production cost imply that it may remain dependent on the oil revenues in the foreseeable future. On the trade policy front, Saudi Arabia has broadly maintained an open trade and investment regime. Its applied tariff levels are relatively low. The Government has taken steps to simplify its 
procedures for imports and exports with a view to  making trading conditions more predictable and 
simpler. Going forward, we wish Saudi Arabia every success in overcoming immediate economic challenges to its growth, and in pursuing plan s to ensure sustainable economic development, 
improve the performance and competitiveness of  its economy, human resource development, 
particularly accelerating the pace of Kingdom's transformation into a knowledge based economy, 
and economic diversification to non-oil sectors.  
4.213.  At the bilateral level, India and Saudi Arabia enjoy multi-faceted strategic partnership 
reflecting the centuries old political, cultural and economic ties, and most importantly, the long-standing people to people connections. More than three million people of Indian origin reside in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the development of Saudi Arabia and in further expanding the 
horizons of India-Saudi Arabia relations. India and Saudi Arabia closely cooperate in other 
multilateral fora such as the G-20 as well as within the framework of the GCC. Today, Saudi Arabia is our fourth largest trading partner and a major source of energy supplies. Saudi Arabia is the 
fifth largest market for India's exports, and during 2014-15, our bilateral trade reached an amount 
of about US$39 billion. On the investment front, a number of India companies have invested in Saudi Arabia in diverse sectors such as construction projects, telecommunications, IT, 
pharmaceuticals, management and consultancy services. We remain engaged with the Saudi 
Arabian Government and businesses to significantl y step up bilateral investments and expanding 
trade ties, particularly in non-oil sectors, for mutual benefit. All in all, our bilateral relations continue to expand and both our countries remain committed to elevating the trade and 
investment linkages to their full potential. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.214.  Saudi Arabia has been an active voice in all aspects of work in this Organization, including 
as coordinator of the Arab Group, which we very  much appreciate. We applaud the commitment of 
the Saudi Arabia to the multilateral trading system and to the ongoing negotiations. Both our countries have a shared interest in a strong and effective multilateral trading system and we look 
forward to working closely with Ambassador Otaibi and his team in Geneva.  
NIGERIA 4.215.  Nigeria is pleased to note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has focused on the economic 
diversification and job creation. Under the Tenth Development Plan (2015-2019), the Government 
is working to diversify the economy into new sect ors such as the manufacturing of metal products, 
machinery, equipment and electrical appliances; export-oriented manufacturing industries; and strengthening and developing SMEs. Several step s have been taken to improve the investment 
climate by removing investment restrictions in mining, petrochemicals, gas, and communications. 
In addition, in August 2015, as an aid to invest ment, the Saudi Arabia General Investment Agency 
(SAGIA) published a manual setting out requirements and fees for investment licenses, and the 
services available for different categories of investors. These measures, we believe would ensure 
transparency in doing business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 
4.216.  Saudi Arabia has not been a complainant or respondent in any disputes under the WTO 
Dispute Settlement Mechanism, but it has participated as a third party in twenty-eight cases. 
Nigeria would, therefore, like to congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for participation as third party. We believe that the third party participation would help developing country members to gain legal capacity in the Dispute Settlement Mechanism and also increase transparency and allow 
developing countries to acquire legal capacity. 
4.217.  At the bilateral level, Nigeria has long-standing relationship with the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia. The bilateral relations have been characterized by cooperation and trust between the 
leaders of the two countries and continue to grow  given the desire of our two countries to forge 
ahead in addressing the important issues that would make the world a better place to live.  
4.218.  In his efforts to ensure genuine development that would diversify Nigeria's economy, 
President Muhammadu Buhari recently led a delegation of ministers, economic advisers and 
corporate leaders for a strategic dialogue with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saudi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is Nigeria's hope that these efforts would fill the vacuum that exists between the two countries trade relations. 
4.219.  As an active Member of the WTO, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has played a leading role in 
the on-going DDA negotiations. We look forward to further collaboration. 
BENIN 
4.220.  The delegation of Benin thanks the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the 
important information that it has given us on the Kingdom's achievements in the economic and trade fields since its accession to the World Trade Organization, and particularly in the period 2011 
2016, the object of this Trade Policy Review. 
4.221.  It also wishes to stress the efforts made by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia to bring its trade policies into conformity with the obligations it assumed through its accession to the WTO. These include in particular measures: 
 to facilitate and promote a greater role of th e private sector in the economy, improve trade 
facilitation and the business climate in order to attract foreign investment (with an investment regime established by Law 1437H (2015), promulgated by Royal Decree); 
 to boost competitiveness and productivity by implementing the Ninth and Tenth 
Development Plans, and diversify the country's economy to enable sustainable growth that 
is resilient to oil shocks; 
 to implement the G 20 Directives prohibiting new trade restrictions; WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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   to maintain customs duties at a relatively low level while avoiding tariff barriers, and 
applying measures such as TBT and SPS measures. As a strong defender of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued to improve its customs procedures; and 
 to increase the share of services in the economy. 
4.222.  The Saudi economy has been characterized by st eady economic growth at an average rate 
of 5.3% of GDP annually between  2010 and 2014, with comfortable current account and budget 
surpluses. 
4.223.  With regard to trade, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whose economic and trade policy 
objectives aim to liberalize trade and investment, has recorded very favourable results over the 
period 2010 2015, with merchandise exports rising from US$251.143 billion in 2010 to 
US$342.433 billion in 2014, with a hea vy predominance of oil products. 
4.224.  The delegation of Benin notes with great interest the commitment of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia to the multilateral trading system, which is reflected in its support for the Doha Round, as 
reaffirmed on the occasion of the Tenth WTO Mini sterial Conference held from 15 to 19 December 
2015 in Nairobi (Kenya), and the signing of numerou s bilateral and regional free trade agreements 
which have strengthened its integration into the multilateral trading system. 
4.225.  The delegation of Benin welcomes the excellent relations of cooperation that happily exist 
between Benin and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, wi th the exchange of high level delegations and 
in particular several visits made by the Beninese Head of State to Riyadh and Jeddah, and the economic missions undertaken between the two capitals in the framework of economic and trade 
exchanges. These have been the opportunity for the signing of several investment promotion and 
protection agreements in various sectors. 
4.226.  Saudi Arabia also contributes its expertise and technical assistance to Benin, through the 
development of road, hospital, school and university infrastructure, and action to prevent sea 
encroachment through the construction of groynes along the Beninese coast. It is also worth highlighting the organization of trade and craft fairs, the development of the textile sectors, 
tourism, humanitarian action, and so forth. 
REPUBLIC
 OF GUINEA   
4.227.  This second Review of the trade policy and practices of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has 
allowed us to get a better grasp of the shape of the Saudi economy and above all to note the 
progress it has made since the first Trade Policy Review in 2012. 
4.228.  The structural reforms undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which have enabled it 
to post a strong economic performance despite the co llapse of oil prices in these last years, amply 
demonstrate that Saudi Arabia is pursuing  a stable, outward looking trade policy. 
4.229.  The measures taken by the Saudi Government to diversify the Kingdom's economy in such 
areas as education, health, agriculture and energy point to the need to forge strategic partnership 
that can allow other developing countries to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the 
Saudi market. 
4.230.  The Republic of Guinea has taken note of th e two reports prepared by the WTO Secretariat 
and the Saudi Government, respectively. We believe that thanks to this work on the part of the 
Saudi Government and the Secretariat, this seco nd Review can mark a new step forward in the 
development of Saudi Arabia's trade policy. 
4.231.  As you know, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia an d the Republic of Guinea are both Members 
of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),  which has 57 member States. The purpose of the 
OIC is to promote cooperation among its member States in the economic, social, cultural and scientific fields thanks to the financial support of the Islamic Development Bank. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.232.  Thus, through the Saudi Development Fund  the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made a 
contribution of US$3 million to the Enhanced Integrated Framework Trust Fund, which is intended to help LDCs better integrate into the multilateral trading system. 
4.233.  With respect to technical assistance and capacity building, the Republic of Guinea 
welcomes the various contributions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the WTO Trust Fund 
designed to enable LDCs to benefit from activities in such areas as sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade. 
4.234.  As for bilateral cooperation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Guinea have 
always had relations based on the strengthening and promotion of the Islamic Uma, with cooperation geared towards sustainable economic development. 
4.235.  The two countries regularly organize meetings of the joint commission that establishes the 
guidelines and contours of cooperation between our two countries. 
4.236.  Accordingly, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 
H.E. Crown Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz visited Conakry in June 2012 in order to 
lay down the main areas of cooperation to be ex plored between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and 
the Republic of Guinea. 
4.237.  With a view to the practical implementation of the various initiatives of the two countries in 
the form of concrete projects, the President of the Republic of Guinea made a third working visit to 
Saudi Arabia in March 2016, during which several Guinean and Saudi businessmen had the occasion to discuss business opportunities between the two countries. 
4.238.  With King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the President of the Republic of Guinea took 
advantage of his visit to emphasize the strengthening of cooperation and links between the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Guinea. The meeting was the occasion for reaffirming our two countries' desire to strengthen their relations and diversify them through win-win 
cooperation. 
4.239.  Other meetings have followed at the level of th e Minister of Finance, Minister of Trade and 
Industry and the Saudi Minister of Hajj. This vi sit led to the signing of major agreements, in 
particular an agreement for financing of US$80 million  for four regional arts and crafts schools, the 
renovation of Donka hospital, a fifth drilling project, and a financing agreement for road infrastructure for some US$243 million. 
4.240.  As you know, since Guinea was afflicted by the Ebola virus epidemic in 2014, no Guinean 
national has been able to undertake the pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam. 
4.241.  That is why you will permit me to take this opportunity I have been given, and as is my 
duty to echo the words of the President of the Republic of Guinea during his recent visit to Saudi 
Arabia, to ask the Saudi delegation here to facili tate the movement of natural persons in the form 
of Guinean pilgrims in the framework of Saudi Arabia's undertakings in the WTO. 
4.242.  I refer to anything that will facilitate the travel by Guinean pilgrims to the holy places of 
Islam as of this year, 2016. 
4.243.  This decision will allow pilgrimage organizers, i.e. travel agencies, tour operators and 
airlines, to revitalize the services trade sector in my country, for you must know that the Ebola epidemic has had a very negative impact on Guinea's trade and economy. 
4.244.  I should also like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the medical aid, in the form of 
disinfectants, protective equipment and several ki nds of medicine, supplied to Guinea during this 
unprecedented health crisis that afflicted my country. 
4.245.   Saudi Arabia has considerable assets: its eminent role in the Muslim world, the vast 
wealth of its subsoil, its low level of external debt, its young population and the dynamism of its business circles, which it can place at the service of other developing countries such as Guinea. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.246.  The hour has come for Guinea to be able to take greater advantage of the know-how and 
technology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in  order to support the development of its own 
economy, for Saudi enterprises have genuine exce llence in key sectors of a modern economy such 
as education and training and major infrastructure. 
4.247.  In conclusion, I should like to invite WTO Members to encourage the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia, as a country that has recently acceded to the WTO, for all the measures taken by the Saudi authorities both to diversify the economy and open it up to the exterior, as well as to make 
its market more attractive to foreign investment. 
4.248.  We also applaud Saudi Arabia's fulfilment of its undertakings in the WTO, and the 
strengthening of its cooperation with least developed countries such as the Republic of Guinea. 
KINGDOM
 OF MOROCCO 
4.249.  It gives the delegation of the Kingdom of Morocco immense pleasure to participate today in 
this second Trade Policy Review of Saudi Arabia which, I am sure, will give the opportunity for the Members of our venerable Organization to take stock of the progress made by our fraternal 
country in the multilateral trading system. 
4.250.  The exercise in which we shall be engaged today and tomorrow will also be the occasion 
for the Government of Saudi Arabia to present the various facets and pillars of its trade policies, in 
its resolve to honour its commitments and become a full player in multilateral trade. 
4.251.  Saudi Arabia has been a Member of the WTO since 2005, and is a nation that is evolving. 
For many years now, in accordance with its successive development plans, Government policy has focused on economic diversification and job creation. Over the period 2010 2014, Saudi Arabia was 
one of the fastest growing G 20 countries. 
4.252.  Saudi Arabia's economic development has taken giant strides in recent years, primarily 
thanks to the favourable regulatory framework established by the Government. All these efforts 
have helped to make this Arab country's economy one of the most prosperous and stable in the 
Middle East region. 
4.253.  The Kingdom of Morocco congratulates Saudi Arabia on its impressive economic 
performance in recent years. The successive develo pments combined with the adoption of market 
economy rules and principles have enabled the Saudi economy to record impressive growth rates and embark upon sustainable and diversified development. 
4.254.  During the period under review, out of a concern to diversify the economy away from 
dependence on oil, Saudi Arabia has pursued efforts to develop the manufacturing sector. 
4.255.  The Government has successfully followed a strategy consisting of creating a business 
friendly environment conducive to economic growth, the strong points being a low level of 
taxation, low customs tariffs and Government policies that promote foreign investment. 
4.256.  In this connection, it should be stressed that Saudi Arabia is among the leading 
beneficiaries of direct foreign investment in the Arab world. It owes this success to the positive 
development of its national economy and the measures it has taken to improve its investment 
environment, in particular by opening up certain key economic activities to foreign investment and streamlining customs procedures. 
4.257.  The Kingdom of Morocco also welcomes Saudi Arabia's commitment to the vision of 
regional trade agreements as supplementing the multilateral system, deepening market 
integration and strengthening the role of trade in economic growth by encouraging economies of scale for national enterprises and providing a broader base for vying with competition at the world 
level. 
4.258.  A successful example of this is the Pan Arab Free Trade Area (PAFTA), which in January 
2005 eliminated all trade barriers among its Members, who include Morocco. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.259.  Saudi Arabia is also a staunch advocate and defender of the multilateral trading system. It 
plays an active role in the ongoing round of multilateral trade negotiations as coordinator of the Arab Group, a proactive but also responsible task which it continues to fulfil. 
4.260.  Moreover, Saudi Arabia supports the strengthening of the technical assistance programmes 
in favour of the developing and least developed countries (LDCs) in several WTO fields. 
4.261.  Saudi Arabia's vision is broadly shared by many developing countries, including my own 
country, Morocco. 
4.262.  I should like to conclude by congratulating the Government of Saudi Arabia on its 
successful performance over recent years and its dynamics role in multilateral trade. 
KAZAKHSTAN 4.263.  Diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were established almost 
immediately after Kazakhstan gained its independen ce and, since then, Saudi Arabia has become a 
very important trade and economic partner of Kazakhstan. We have very close and friendly relationship which extends from the leadership to the peoples of the two countries. Trade and 
economic cooperation between our countries is st eadily evolving with an annual trade turnover 
exhibiting upward trend in recent years. Kazakh stan's major export items to Saudi Arabia are 
barley, metals and tools. Imports from Saudi Arabia include lubricants, varnish, paints and other 
products. 
4.264.  During the period 2005-2015, direct investments of Saudi Arabia into Kazakhstan totalled 
US$85 million. Over the years, the Government of Saudi Arabia provided continuous support to the development of such important areas as infrastructure, healthcare and education in Kazakhstan. In 
this regard, I would like to thank the Government of Saudi Arabia for the fruitful cooperation in 
implementation of numerous large projects, including roads reconstruction, building of schools and hospitals, as well as to its invaluable contribution to the development of our new capital – Astana. 
4.265.  Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia regularly organize business forums with participation of 
representatives of the business communities from both countries.  
4.266.  Kazakhstan, as a country that attaches high priority to the process of diversification of the 
national economy, would like to wish the Government and people of Saudi Arabia a successful 
implementation of the Tenth Development Plan and expeditiously achieve its goals, especially in 
economic diversification and creating knowledge based economy. 
4.267.  In closing, I want to emphasize once again that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the 
most important strategic partners of the Republic of Kazakhstan. We are confident that there is a 
lot of potential to further develop our mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation in the years to come. Using this opportunity, as a very recently acceded Member, I would like to thank 
the Government of Saudi Arabia and personally H.E. Ambassador Al Otaibi for the continuous 
strong support to the accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO and look forward to further cooperation within the Organization. 
URUGUAY 
4.268.  Uruguay wishes to congratulate Saudi Arabia on its economic growth, one of the fastest in 
the G 20 in the period under review. 
4.269.  Our country has friendly and constructive relations with Saudi Arabia in various fields and 
over recent years we have had high level visits with a view to broadening and strengthening our 
economic and trade links. 
4.270.  Accordingly, legal instruments exist that are of interest for our country, such as draft 
agreements on animal health, air services, c ooperation between our country's Ministries of 
Agriculture, and investment protection, among others. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.271.  During the period under review, our country's main export was citrus fruit (mandarins and 
lemons). We also exported wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, other non-cellular and non-reinforced plastic sheets, dairy products, and live sheep and goats. These exports have been erratic and our bilateral trade has been rather unbalanced, so that our country wishes to 
emphasize our interest in exporting larger quantities to Saudi Arabia, given that our economies are 
complementary. 
4.272.  Along the same lines, Uruguay wishes to reiterate its readiness to hold bilateral talks in 
order to find greater points of contact between the products our country has to offer and Saudi 
Arabian demand. 
EL
 SALVADOR 
4.273.  We wish to highlight the efforts made by Saudi Arabia to ensure sustainable economic 
development and improve the performance and comp etitiveness of its economy by developing the 
structure of the public sector and speeding up the rate of transformation of the country into a knowledge based economy, as stated in its report. Although despite the efforts to diversify the 
economy other productive sectors have not become as important as the oil sector, which, as 
indicated in the Secretariat report, in 2014 accounted for nearly 50% of GDP, 83% of exports and 90% of public revenues, these revenues have enable d Saudi Arabia to have rapid economic growth 
and increase its GDP and also to record fiscal surpluses and significantly reduce public debt. This 
places it in a favourable position, although it will continue to rely on its oil revenue in the coming years, and give it the necessary room to wait for its policies aimed at diversification and attracting foreign investment to bear fruit. 
4.274.  We have also noted the efforts made by the Saudi Arabian Government to keep its 
economic policy within the guidelines of the WTO rules, and adapt to best practices in the management of its international trade, as reflected in the Government report. 
4.275.  At multilateral level, Saudi Arabia has been supporting the efforts to achieve as rapidly as 
possible a satisfactory outcome to the negotiations on the Doha development agenda. It has also displayed its commitment to playing an active role in the work of the WTO Councils and 
Committees and the Dispute Settlement Body, with a view to supporting the strengthening of the 
Organization's functions of consultation, oversight and dispute settlement in order to improve the implementation, administration and operation of the WTO Agreements. 
4.276.  At bilateral level our trade, although currently low, has been growing steadily over the last 
five years, rising from US$226,000 in 2010 to US$10.5 million in 2015. El Salvador's main exports 
to Saudi Arabia over the period 2013 2015 were metal tools, aluminium products and cotton vests, while our imports consisted primarily of inputs for the plastic products industry, food preparations 
and furniture, among others. 
KINGDOM
 OF BAHRAIN 
4.277.  As well as being a member of the GCC Customs Union, the economy of the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia is highly connected to that of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia shares Bahrain's only land 
border, through the King Fahad Causeway, one of the world's longest and busiest cross-border bridges, making it our largest export destination, with total non-oil exports reaching US$4 billion in 2015, just under 50% of our total exports. As well as working as a gateway from Bahraini exports 
to the rest of the region. 
4.278.  We are therefore delighted to see from the repo rt that Saudi Arabia's economic growth was 
one of the fastest in the G-20 for most of the period under review, and that they have taken steps 
to facilitate and promote an increased role for th e private sector in the economy, to improve the 
ease of doing business and to continue to improve the investment climate. 
4.279.  Confronted with the challenge of the declining oil prices currently facing our region, we 
look forward to seeing Saudi Arabia's latest Development Plan in action, the plan promises to 
diversify the economy geographically, into new sectors, and vertically through processing and manufacturing in sectors linked to oil and gas; an initiative Bahrain and the rest of the region could learn from. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  GUATEMALA 
4.280.  Guatemala and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have maintained a solid trade relationship for 
various decades. Bilateral trade between our two countries grew by over 20% in the period 2002 2015, from US$108 million in 2002 to US$133 millio n in 2015. Guatemalan exports to the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exceeded US$72 million in 2015. The main export products were 
cardamom, coffee, frozen fruit and sugar. Meanwhil e, imports from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 
Guatemala consisted primarily of plastic materials and articles, totaling US$61 million. 
4.281.  With regard to our ongoing Review, we would highlight the accession of Saudi Arabia to the 
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and Patent Law Treaty (PLT), as well as the efforts made in agricultural policy directed at th e more efficient use of resources. Among the core challenges in the 
short term, we note the importance of continuing the Kingdom's efforts to diversify its economy 
and promote job creation. Thus, the Development Plan for the period 2015 2019 is expected to 
play an important role in this process of geographic, sectoral and vertical economic diversification. 
4.282.  Guatemala appreciates the efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period 
covered by this Review, and wishes its delegation today a successful conclusion to its Trade Policy 
Review. 
JORDAN 
4.283.  Jordan enjoys longstanding relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and enjoys 
excellent economic and trade relations and a very smooth flow of trade and investment. 
4.284.  The Saudi economy is based on openness and solid macroeconomic foundations and 
successfully maintained its resilience and stability with continued steady growth and ambitious 
economic vision. The remarkable figures shown in the reports are a result of a wise development 
strategy followed progressively by the Saudi Government. The period under review witnessed 
economic and regulatory reforms focusing on maintaining an investment friendly environment, and 
increasing the role of the private sector in driving the economy.  
4.285.  The sustained economic growth rates and the ambitious economic policies namely the 
transformation into a knowledge-based econom y by 2030 are remarkable; Jordan congratulates 
the Saudi Government and the business society for such achievements and would like to wish the 
brotherly Saudi Arabia more prosperity and a fruitful and successful Trade Policy Review. 
QATAR 4.286.  It is indeed a great pleasure for the delegation of the State of Qatar to participate in the 
second TPR of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom and State of Qatar constitute 
together with UAE, the Kingdom of Bahrain, th e Sultanate of Oman and Kuwait, the GCC Custom 
Union and share a common culture and history. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of 
Qatar are also partners within the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), where the Kingdom's 
policies of openness have been integral in enhancing the region efforts towards effective integrating into the global economy. 
4.287.  During the first trade policy review in 2012, WTO Members noted that the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia maintained sound economic policies and an outward-looking trade regime which enabled it to successfully weather the global crisis without backsliding on trade liberalization. 
4.288.  In the period under current review, we are plea sed to note that despite the continuation of 
economic and political turmoil in the world, the Kingdom has continued to implement its trade 
policies consistently with its WTO obligations. 
4.289.  Furthermore, and as noted by the reports prepared for this meeting, the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia has taken important policy initiatives since 2012 to emerge as a significant player in an 
increasingly inter-dependent world. In this connect ion, we are happy to note that the Kingdom has 
not introduced any protectionist trade policy measures despite the impact of falling oil prices on its 
economy. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.290.  In particular, we congratulate the Kingdom for making steady progress in promoting legal 
environment of investment and trade facilita tion measures, including easing of customs 
procedures and lowering the administrative import and export costs. 
4.291.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sound economic po licy is an excellent example for us in the 
GCC of how an energy-exporting developing country can diversify the economy away from oil into 
a knowledge-based economy. In the light of this, we  are pleased to note that the main target of 
the Tenth Development Plan of the Kingdom is to  increase the total value added of the non-oil 
sectors at an average annual rate of 7.9%. 
4.292.  In conclusion, allow me to seize the opportunity to acknowledge the role of 
H.E. Ambassador Abdolazeez Al Otaibi and his team for their tireless efforts in advancing the work of the WTO. 
4.293.  In particular, we would like to thank the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its 
outstanding work as the GCC coordinator in the WTO, in advancing the interests, aspirations and positions of our countries. 
YEMEN 
4.294.  Yemen, as a neighbouring brotherly country , enjoys excellent cultural, economic and 
commercial relations with the Kingdom, who also happens to be one of our major trading partners. 
4.295.  This second regular Trade Policy Review process is another opportunity to better appreciate 
the Kingdom's trade policies since the first TPR in January 2012. Reports presented to this cycle of 
review clearly show positive policy developments and openness in all aspects, as well as full commitment to the multilateral trading system. The Saudi Arabian delegation in Geneva has 
played a very active role in the WTO activities including negotiations under the Doha Round. As a 
G-20 country, Saudi Arabia ranks globally high on both exports and imports of goods and services, 
as well as other key indicators.  
4.296.  Since its accession to the WTO in 2005, Saudi Arabia's economy has performed well 
including in addressing key challenges to diversify its economic base. This has been assisted by pursuing quite liberal trade regime with low applied MFN tariff rates and an open services sector. 
As a result, the Kingdom's economy has witnessed healthy growth despite of some difficulties 
mostly caused by external factors. In the meantime, the Kingdom has taken several welcomed steps to further liberalize different sectors in  trade in services as well as in goods. 
4.297.  Both the Government and the WTO Secretariat reports indicate clearly the enormous 
efforts undertaken since the first TPR. Yemen's delegation welcomes such endeavour by the 
Kingdom and its well established policies to more open up the economy for the benefit of its people and the rest of the world. This meeting is  quite useful to contribute in supporting Saudi 
Arabia's emergent and diversified economy overall performance. Yemen's delegation hopes that 
WTO Members shall favourably support the Kingdom course of action to develop and further advance its trade policy in the years to come. 
TUNISIA 
4.298.  My delegation wishes to emphasize the considerable efforts made by Saudi Arabia since its 
previous Trade Policy Review to pursue its policy of economic and trade liberalization through the process of opening up its economy, establishing an environment that is favourable to the 
development of investment, and diversifying trade and economic relations with its partners, 
including my country. 
4.299.  Since the previous Trade Policy Review, Saudi Arabia has undergone important changes in 
the economic, human and social fields. The economy, essentially based on hydrocarbons 
production, has diversified by turning in particular  to the services sector, and especially financial 
services. 
4.300.  Saudi Arabia has achieved buoyant economic development and growth despite the fall in 
oil prices and the world crisis that continues to  affect the world economy. Its GDP continued to WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  grow strongly during most of the period cove red by the review. During 2010 2014, economic 
growth was one of the highest in the G 20, with GDP per capita reaching more than US$24,000. 
4.301.  The energy sector remains the backbone of in dustrial production and trade. However, we 
note that in recent years the Government has introduced a strategic vision of economic 
diversification aimed at building a modern economic structure relying on diversified resources with 
a degree of internal integration among the various sectors of activities. 
4.302.  In another sphere, diversification and investment in several services sectors such as 
transport, construction and tourism (given that it welcomes several million pilgrims every year and 
the presence of the two principal holy places of  Islam on its territory), have contributed to 
stimulating the economy in recent years and should be pursued in the coming years. 
4.303.  Tunisia and Saudi Arabia maintain fraternal, cooperative relations. My country attaches 
great importance to these longstanding relation s that have been established between our two 
countries over many decades. 
4.304.  Tunisia benefits from a large number of proj ects carried out by Saudi Arabia. Our two 
countries are determined to strengthen and consolidate this cooperation in all fields. 
4.305.  Lastly, I wish to congratulate Ambassador Abdulaziz Al Otaibi, Saudi Arabia's Permanent 
Representative to the WTO, and his team on their active involvement in the work of the WTO and 
in the work of the trade negotiations carried on here in Geneva. His contribution and that of his 
team are widely welcomed by all Member States. 
4.306.  We lend our support to th e efforts of Saudi Arabia. 
JAPAN 
4.307.  Needless to say, we, Saudi Arabia and Japan, have been important partners for years. 
Japan will make continuous efforts to maintain and further develop the strong ties between us. 
Macroeconomy 
High dependency on oil sector 
4.308.  Overall, Saudi Arabia's economy can be charac terized by its high dependency on its oil 
sector, which is highly influenced by international crude oil prices. 
4.309.  In the first half of the review period, crude oil prices positively impacted Saudi Arabia's 
economy and it showed strong growth, helped by crude oil price hikes. During this period, the average rate of real GDP growth was 5.3%, which was one of the highest among the G-20 
countries. 
4.310.  On the other hand, in the latter half of the review period, crude oil prices negatively 
affected Saudi Arabia's economy. Since the latte r half of 2014, falling crude oil prices have 
decelerated growth in the country's main industry. The real GDP growth rate declined to 3.5% in 
2014. According to estimations made by several banks, the estimated real GDP growth rate for 
2015 is around 2.5%, which 'is not a sign of recovery.  
Diversification 
4.311.  We know that the Government of Saudi Arabia has made great efforts to address its 
problem of high dependency on the oil sector and diversify its economy, and from our point of view, its efforts partially been successful. 
4.312.  According to the Secretariat's report, the share of the oil sector in the country's current 
GDP has gradually declined from 50.8% in 2011 to 41.8% in 2014. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.313.  Japan commends Saudi Arabia's continuous efforts toward diversification, but we expect 
m o r e .  I n  t h i s  s e n s e ,  w e  e x p e c t  S a u d i  A r a b i a  to implement its national strategy, "the Tenth 
Development Plan", which aims at further diversification of its economy.  
FDI 
4.314.  Foreign direct investment is one of the keys to success in economic diversification. 
However, despite Saudi Arabia' successive policies to attract FDI, a vast range of prohibitions for FDI remain in place. Furthermore, some laws and regulations are so complicated for foreign 
investors and their implementation is lacking in transparency.  
4.315.  In 2013, Saudi Arabia and Japan signed the agreement for the promotion and protection of 
investment, yet this agreement hasn't entered into force. Japan requests Saudi Arabia to share on its outlook as to when this agreement can be ra tified. We expect that this agreement makes the 
Saudi Arabia's business climate more attractive and further promote direct investment from Japan.  
Trade policies Customs and procedures 
4.316.  In terms of custom duties, Saudi Arabia binds all tariff lines and tariffs on most products 
are low, which we commend. 
4.317.  We expect Saudi Arabia to continue to addr ess the gap between the average bound tariff 
rate of 11.0% and the average MFN applied ra te of 5.2%, which remains relatively high. 
4.318.  Our primary concern about Saudi Arabia's trade policy is the complicated nature of import 
and export procedures. According to the latest  Doing Business Report by the World Bank, the 
country was ranked 150th out of 189 economies for trading across frontiers. Surprisingly enough, 
this report also noted that in 2013 Saudi Arabia increased the number of documents needed for 
importing and exporting, which made its trade procedures more cumbersome. 
4.319.  As already mentioned, trade facilitation can be one of the keys to attract FDI, which would 
contribute to Saudi Arabia's main objective, namely economic diversification. In this sense, we 
commend the fact that the country took several steps to simplify its customs procedures, including the Electronic Data Interchange system and the pre-arrival document verification procedure, but 
we expect further improvement in this field.  
4.320.  In this regard, we request Saudi Arabia to ra tify the TF Agreement as soon as possible. 
RTAs 4.321.  The GCC, of which Saudi Arabia is one of the members, has vigorously engaged in 
negotiations about FTA. The GCC has concluded negotiations with the European Free Trade 
Association (EFTA) States, Singapore, New Zealand and so forth. Also, the GCC is now engaging in negotiations with Australia, China, the EU, India,  Korea, MERCOSUR, Pakistan, Turkey and Japan. 
Among others, the FTA with the EFTA States, which entered into force last year, seems to be 
important to Saudi Arabia, since this FTA provided Saudi Arabia with a relatively high level of liberalization. Furthermore, it covered not only trade in goods and services but a wide range of 
policy fields, including government procurement and competition policy. Japan commends Saudi 
Arabia and the GCC's positive efforts to liberalize international trade and hopes that their FTAs and EPAs will complement and strengthen the Multilateral Trading System. 
4.322.  One thing we would like to mention in regard to FTAs is the GCC's attitude toward 
negotiation with us. Actually, since 2009, our negotiations have been at a standstill. The reason 
given by the GCC for withdrawing from negotiations was that it needed some time to review all the FTA negotiations it was participating in at that time. Japan requests Saudi Arabia and the GCC to 
share information on the progress of this "review" as well as its outlook as to when our 
negotiations can be resumed. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  Government procurement 
4.323.  With regard to government procurement, Saud i Arabia provides a price preference of 10% 
with domestically produced products. It also gives a preference of 5% to products from the other GCC States. In order to maintain fair competition on government procurement, Japan hopes that 
Saudi Arabia will give non-discriminatory treatment to all WTO Members. 
4.324.  Japan strongly encourages Saudi Arabia to consider becoming a member of the 
Government Procurement Agreement, of which it is currently an observer.  
Concerns 
4.325.  Finally, let me make some brief comments on specific concerns that we have. 
Labour policy 4.326.  Firstly, we are concerned with a Saudi Arabian labor policy, the so-called "Saudization" 
employment requirements. Japanese companies have paid close attention to, and have also made 
great efforts to faithfully comply with the Saudization requirements. However, ironically, Japanese companies' sincere compliance has resulted in cost hikes, and thus, has taken away their 
competitiveness. We believe that policies su ch as these that reduce foreign companies' 
competitiveness eventually discourage FDI and, more importantly, have a negative impact on Saudi Arabia nationals' employment opportuniti es. We request Saudi Arabia to review its 
"Saudization" policy with a view to facilitating foreign companies' activities. 
Investor's license 4.327.  Secondly, our concern is about the granting of investors' licenses to foreign companies. 
The SAGIA and its operating office, the ISC, are responsible for evaluating and licensing 
investment proposals. We have received several co mplaints from Japanese investors, mainly about 
unclear criteria for granting licenses, as well as a very short licensed period and high renewal charge. We request Saudi Arabia to make these licensing procedures more transparent in order to 
increase the attractiveness of its business environment to foreign investors.   
4.328.  In conclusion, I would like to express our strong wish to continue cooperation between 
Saudi Arabia and Japan.  
EGYPT 
4.329.  Egypt is pleased to see that, as pointed out in the Secretariat report, Saudi Arabia's 
economic growth was one of the fastest in the G-20 during the period 2010-2014, with an average 
annual real GDP growth of 5.3% and with GDP per capita increasing to more than US$24000. 
Furthermore, total public debt declined to 1.6% of GDP while foreign exchange reserves reached 
US$732 billion, in addition to the large trade-in-goods and current account surpluses.  
4.330.  Egypt commends the measures adopted by the Government of Saudi Arabia in its 
successive Development Plans to diversify the economy and create new jobs. We note Saudi 
Arabia's determination, under the Tenth Develo pment Plan (2015-2019), to diversify the economy 
in its different dimensions as well as to encourage greater employment of Saudi nationals and to 
increase female participation in the workforce, through the implementation of the Nitaqat 
programme, a labor market reform strate gy introduced by the Government.   
4.331.  As noted in the Secretariat report, Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to the 
liberalization of trade and investment to promote economic growth and its efforts to diversify the 
economy and increase the contribution of non-oil sectors to GDP. In this regard, we appreciate the 
large number of initiatives that have been underta ken by Saudi Arabia's Government to facilitate 
trade and foreign investment, such as customs procedures as well as the protection of intellectual 
property rights, and investment in new cities and infrastructure.  
4.332.  Egypt welcomes Saudi Arabia's continued commitment to the WTO's work and to the 
multilateral trading system, particularly through its active participation and constructive WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  contributions in the Arab Group. Since becoming a Member of the WTO in 2005, Saudi Arabia has 
fully supported the WTO Secretariat's exercise of periodically monitoring the imposition of new 
trade measures by G-20 WTO Members, and we congratulate Saudi Arabia for being the only G-20 member to avoid such measures since the global financial crisis.   
4.333.  On the bilateral front, Egypt and Saudi Arabia enjoy a strong and interlinked economic 
relationship, which has continued to grow over the past decades, with Saudi Arabia being the second largest non-Arab investor in Egypt and the largest Arab investor. Egypt appreciates the 
initiative by His Royal Highness King Salman bin Abdulaziz to increase Saudi Arabia's investments 
in Egypt by an additional US$8 billion, as well as to contribute to Egypt's needs of oil for a period of 5 years, and to increase traffic in the Suez Canal through Saudi ships.   
4.334.  In conclusion, I would like to seize this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for 
the hard work undertaken by Saudi Arabia's missi on here in Geneva headed by His Excellency 
Ambassador Abdulaziz Al Otaibi and his stewardshi p to the Arab Group, and we look forward to 
continued cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to deepen our economic relationship both 
bilaterally and within the WTO. 
UNITED
 ARAB  EMIRATES 
4.335.  Last year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrated here in Geneva, under the auspices of 
the Minister of Commerce and Industry, the tenth a nniversary of its accession to the WTO. It was 
an opportunity to highlight the great achievements made by the Kingdom since 11 December 2005. 
4.336.  During this event, the Director General of the WTO, Roberto Azevêdo, declared that: 
"Indeed, the accession of Saudi Arabia stands as an excellent example to other Governments 
which are still in the process of negotiating their terms and conditions of Membership". He added that "After ten years of Membership, Saudi Arabia has established itself as a prominent voice in 
the WTO". 
4.337.  During the preparatory process leading to MC10 in Nairobi, Kenya, the Kingdom's 
delegation in Geneva, under the efficient and wise leadership of H.E. Abdolazeez Al Otaibi in his 
capacity as a coordinator of the WTO Arab group,  had greatly contributed to the consensus around 
the Doha Development Agenda and to the importance of the multilateral trading system.  
4.338.  As a member of the GCC, the Kingdom remains a close and solid trading partner to the 
United Arab Emirates. We wish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a fruitful and a successful TPR. 
TURKEY 
4.339.  The Turkish delegation is very much please d to be present at the second Trade Policy 
Review of Saudi Arabia. At the beginning, I would like to state that with oil reserves of about 
267 billion barrels (16% of the world total) Saudi Arabia, a G-20 member, is one of the main 
economic actors not only in the Middle East but also in the world. As underlined in the Secretariat report, Saudi Arabia, besides possessing the largest oil reserves, is also the world leader in oil 
production, export, and refining capacity.  
4.340.  After acceding to the WTO, Saudi Arabia has proven an impressive economic performance. 
As stated in the Government Report, Saudi Arab ia has adopted a development strategy that has 
led to increased GDP growth, moderate inflation and surpluses in both its overall fiscal position and 
external current account in recent years. The economic growth of Saudi Arabia has been one of the 
fastest in the G-20 and its real GDP growth aver aged 5.3% annually in the period of 2010-2014. 
Furthermore, GDP per capita rose to over US$24,000 in 2014 from US$19,000 in 2010. Besides, 
inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, in June 2015 (2.2%) is the lowest inflation 
rate that country witnessed since 2005. However, the sharp decline in the global oil prices since 2014 has adversely affected the economy and government finances of Saudi Arabia and resulted in 
lower export and revenue receipts. Nonetheless, we are pleased to observe that the Saudi Arabian 
authorities are cognizant of the immediate economic risks of sustained lower oil prices and taking action to address them through the Ninth (2011-2014) and Tenth (2015-2019) Development Plans. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.341.  Saudi Arabia is to be commended for its resilient, open and transparent economy despite 
the ongoing instability in the region and sharp de creases in the global oil prices. We note, with 
pleasure, that Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to the liberalization of trade and investment in order to assist its economic growth and diversify economy so as to develop and enhance the 
role of the non-hydrocarbon sectors. Relatively low import duties and an open services economy 
reflect Saudi Arabia's strong commitment to the rules-based system. In this regard, Turkey welcomes Saudi Arabia's strong commitment to the WTO and G-20.  
4.342.  Turkey appreciates the key steps taken by Saudi Arabia in line with its powerful reform 
approach during the period under review, such as enhancing vertical and horizontal economic diversification, promoting the transition to a kn owledge-based economy, improving productivity of 
labor and capital, enhancing fiscal and monetary stability, improving the investment environment, 
increasing the contribution of non-oil sector to the economy and disciplining the public finance.  
4.343.  From a trade policy perspective, Turkey also welcomes the steps taken by Saudi Arabia to 
further simplify the customs procedure such tools as the Electronic "Data Interchange System" 
which allows electronic submission and processing of import declarations and the pre-arrival 
document verification. As referred to in the Secret ariat report, the applied tariff remains essentially 
unchanged since the last Review in 2012 at 5% on about 80% of tariff lines and duty free on 
another 11%.  
4.344.  On the bilateral side, Turkey and Saudi Arabia enjoy very good political and economic 
relations. The bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Saudi Arabia reached US$6.9 billion in 2014. However, I believe that this does not reflect the real potential of our economies and we seek 
ways to enhance economic relations. In order to further benefit from the potential of our 
economies, it is important to organize the meetings of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) in more frequent intervals. Moreover, it is clear that the legal framework of our bilateral trade and 
economic relations will be further strengthen ed by signing a Free Trade Agreement between 
Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). On  this occasion I would like to underline that 
Turkey is ready to conclude the FTA negotiations between Turkey and GCC, which started in 2005. 
4.345.  Turkish exports to Saudi Arabia are mainly composed of electric transformers and 
conductors, clothing and textiles, iron and steel, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products. Around 80% of our imports from Saudi Arabia are crude oil. Moreover, Turkish contracting firms have accumulated vast experience in Saudi Arabia since 1970s and have undertaken projects 
worth US$17 billion in Saudi Arabia by the end of 2015. In addition, tourism is an important area 
of cooperation between our two countries. The number of Saudi tourists visiting Turkey increases each year, which reached 450 thousands in 2015, by rising more than 30% annually.  
4.346.  I believe that Saudi Arabia could achieve the objective of diversifying its economy 
geographically and vertically and improve the competitiveness and productivity of its economy under the Ninth and Tenth Development Plans that aim to transform the Kingdom into a 
knowledge-based economy by 2030. 
4.347.  To conclude, we applaud Saudi Arabia's active participation in and contributions to the 
WTO negotiations under the leadership of Ambass ador Abdolazeez Al Otaibi and his team in 
Geneva. We look forward to continuing the constructive engagement of the Saudi Arabian 
delegation. 
TAJIKISTAN 4.348.  Saudi Arabia is one of Tajikistan's important economic partners and the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia has a special position in the foreign policy in the Arab world. 
4.349.  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recognized the inde pendence of the Republic of Tajikistan on 
January 1992 and diplomatic relations between  the two countries were established on 
February 1992. The President of the Republic of Ta jikistan, Emomalii Rahmon, had several visits to 
Saudi Arabia, and the most recent was in January 2016. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  4.350.  Our Government pays attention to bilateral relations setting up legal framework that 
regulates bilateral relations between the two countries. Following top level talks, five new cooperation documents have been signed. 
4.351.  Bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia gradually started to have firm 
foundations for quality improvement in order to establish cooperation between the public sector 
and the economic sphere of Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia. Economic and scientific economic cooperation began to operate. The Tajik and Saudi Arabian entrepreneurs' Council is another tool 
for the development of cooperation in the private sector of the two countries.  WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND 
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS 
5.1.  First of all, I would like to express our appreciation to the Chairperson, Mrs Irene Young, for 
her remarkable conduct of our Trade Policy Review. I would also like to warmly thank our 
discussant, Mr. Alvaro Molinari, for his insightful and detailed introductory remarks. We also 
reiterate our thanks to the WTO TPR Division for th eir technical and functional coordination of the 
entire process. 
5.2.  The Saudi delegation deeply appreciated writte n contributions and thoughtful interventions 
made by Members during the opening session on Mo nday. This valuable exercise has provided us 
with the opportunity to listen to insightful vi ews and suggestions from Members on our trade 
policies and practices. It also highlighted the recent developments in Saudi Arabia's trade and 
trade-related policies, and identified some areas in which there is room for improvement.  
5.3.  We are pleased to notice that a number of issues that raised Members' concerns in our 2012 
first review are no longer relevant or existent. This shows the improvement in our Trade policies 
and practices and our persistence to continue adhering to the rules, disciplines and commitments 
of the WTO Agreements.  
5.4.  We are encouraged by the positive assessment of the Kingdom's policies, reforms and 
potential, and the desire expressed by Memb ers for deeper bilateral economic, trade and 
investment engagement with our country. Many Members have expressed their appreciation of our sustained efforts to maintain an open, free and transparent economy. The active role of the Kingdom in supporting the multilateral trading sy stem and the WTO activities was commended by 
the majority of the intervening Members. Th ese acknowledgments by Members are highly 
appreciated.  
5.5.  I am pleased to report that we have provided  written answers to over 354 questions received 
within and after the 21 March deadline, and we  hope that these responses were to your 
satisfaction.  
5.6.  Let me begin now with the comments of our distinguished discussant, Ambassador Alvaro. 
His remarks have been, in general, very apprecia tive of our economic performance, and reforms 
that have been undertaken during the period under  review. He also pointed out some areas which 
need further improvements for consideration. We thank him for his appreciation and for his insightful suggestions. 
5.7.  Now I will turn briefly to the main issues raised by Members without repeating what has been 
covered in my opening statement.  
5.8.  There were a number of questions and comments regarding the new challenges and changing 
economic environment related to the decline in oil prices. According to the IMF 2015 report, the 
Saudi economy is still growing at good rates cl ose to 3.5% in 2015 and we expect growth to 
continue this year despite the unfavourable developments in the international oil market. As I have 
mentioned in my opening statement on Monday, Saudi Arabia through its development plans and 
economic and financial reforms has always overcome its challenging environment in an efficient manner. Thanks to its economic policies which contributed over the years in promoting Government's financial reserves, large investment in infrastructure which contributes to economic 
growth, very low levels of public debt, and strong and stable banking system.  
5.9.  In addition, the Saudi Government through a significant number of structural, fiscal reforms 
is determined to stimulate economic growth in the non-oil sectors to reduce direct oil dependency, 
encourage private investments, increase efficiency  and productivity through the development of its 
human capital to help achieve greater economic diversification towards a knowledge based economy. Furthermore, the Kingdom continued to  strengthen business environment to promote 
small and medium enterprises. The kingdom has recently established the General Authority for 
small and medium enterprises. 
5.10.  A number of delegations raised questions and made comments regarding Saudization. The 
Saudization Policy aims at ensuring job opportunities for young and qualified Saudis. Given the WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  fact that two-thirds of the 20 million Saudi nati onals are under the age of 30, and 37% of them 
are 14 years old or younger. That means 1.9 million Saudis will enter the workforce over the next decade. It is surely the responsibility of ever y Government to provide job opportunities to its 
citizens. The Saudization policy is not meant to limit the access of foreign professionals and foreign 
workers to our market. This is evident from the fact that as per our statistics of 2013, Saudi Arabia 
hosts over 9 million expatriates.  
5.11.  A number of questions were raised regarding our foreign investment regime. The Kingdom 
of Saudi Arabia considers its foreign investment regime as an instrument to achieve GDP growth, 
diversify the economy and create job opportunities. It is important to point out that, during its accession to the WTO, Saudi Arabia has already made very liberal and extensive investment commitments on a number of important services. In  order to improve the investment environment 
and enhance predictability and certainty for foreign investors, the Saudi Arabian General 
Investment Authority SAGIA has amended its regulation in 2014 and allowed the participation of foreign investors in mining, petrochemicals, gas and communications sectors. It is important to 
point out that in order to improve transparency and to aid investors, SAGIA published, in 
August 2015, the second edition of its Services Manual that provides necessary information and support regarding the requirements for licenses, fees , and cost of subscribing to services provided 
by SAGIA. For further information regarding SAG IA's extensive services to investors, we 
encourage all Members to refer SAGIA's official website (www.sagia.gov.sa). 
5.12.  Some questions were also raised about the customs procedures. It is worth noting that 
Saudi Arabia attaches utmost importance to trade facilitation, simplification, pre-arrival clearance 
of goods and the enhancement of the external Elec tronic Data Interchange (EDI). With regard to 
the ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, it is currently in its final stage. We have also 
undertaken other trade facilitation initiatives such as the adoption of the Unified Guide for Customs 
Procedures at First Points of Entry to facilitate customs procedures across the GCC Customs Union 
and established a programme of Authorized Economic Operators. 
5.13.  On technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, some Members 
raised several questions and concerns. I would like to reiterate that Saudi Arabia adheres to the 
transparency provisions in the development an d implementation of TBT and SPS measures and 
remains committed to following these in conformity  with the respective agreements of the WTO. I 
would also like to underline that more than 90% of Saudi Arabia's standards are aligned with 
international standards. In addition, Saudi SPS related procedures, such as import regulations, 
have been updated to facilitate trading in line with WTO (SPS-TBT) agreements.  
5.14.  A number of questions were raised relating to our government procurement. Let me 
reassure Members that Saudi Arabia's government procurement framework is based on the 
principles of efficiency, transparency, non-discrimination and fairness. Regarding our accession to the revised Government Procurement Agreement, as indicated in our report, a study to assess the 
pros and cons of acceding to this agreement is being under process. 
5.15.  With regard to intellectual property rights , some Members raised questions about our IPR 
related issues. Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to the promotion and the protection of the intellectual property rights to ensure a predic table and healthy business environment facing new 
global challenges and attracting foreign direct investment. It should be emphasized that the 
current IPR legislations in Saudi Arabia are in line with the international standards, particularly TRIPS Agreement.  
5.16.  Furthermore, the Kingdom has become a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the 
Patent Law Treaty since 2013. Saudi Arabia is also proceeding to strengthen the Law of Patents, Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits, Plant Varieties and Industrial Designs. We observe a 
remarkable increase in the number of IPR applications in Saudi Arabia. The number of patent 
applications has significantly increased from 94 applications in 2000 to more than 2400 in 2015, approximately 70% of them are foreign applican ts. The average pendency time now is about 
24 months, which is in line with the international norms.  
5.17.  We would like to assure Members and our trading partners that Saudi Arabia is committed 
to further developing its IPR system and enforcem ent, enhance the public awareness activities in WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  the field of IPR and strengthen the capacities of all government-related institutions responsible for 
the protection of intellectual property.   
5.18.  In conclusion, I would like to reiterate our commitment to the rules of the multilateral 
trading system and our continued efforts to maintain a free and transparent trading regime.  
5.19.  I also would like to thank once again the Chairperson, our discussant, Members, and the 
TPR Division for their time and effort to make our review a productive and interesting exercise.  
5.20.  Special thanks go to my colleagues from the capital for their tireless efforts to undertake 
successfully this task from the initial to the end. 
DISCUSSANT 5.21.  If you recall, during my opening statement, I concluded my remarks by launching the 
question on how we, as WTO Members, could help Saudi Arabia to achieve its goal of becoming a 
knowledge-based economy. I launched this question hoping that the Trade Policy Review exercise 
would give us some answers and I believe it did. 
5.22.  Members acknowledged the economic growth and stability achieved by Saudi Arabia during 
the review period and their active participation in the WTO. They also highlighted the positive 
reforms that the Kingdom has taken since their last TPR, such as the opening of certain sectors to foreign direct investment, the privatization of public companies, the improvement of their 
competition and intellectual property regimes, and the simplification of custom procedures. 
Members commended Saudi Arabia as well for havi ng a simple and predictable trade regime with 
low average bound and applied rates and for not applying contingency measures. 
5.23.  The diversification and transformation of the Saudi economy to a knowledge-based one is an 
objective that Members also support, in particular given the current context of low oil prices. 
However, it is an ongoing process with many challenges, and Members have also pointed out further reforms and improvements in Saudi Arabia's trade regime that could be taken into 
consideration. The complexity of import and export  procedures is an issue that was signalled by 
several Members, in particular due to the lack of clarity regarding SPS and TBT requirements. Greater transparency in this area would be a welcomed development. Further improvements of 
Saudi Arabia's customs and licensing regimes were also suggested, including the ratification of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement. Achieving greater liberalization in areas such as government procurement and information technology could also boost the diversification and transformation process. Adherence to the Government Procurement Agreement and the expansion of the 
Information Technology Agreement would definitively help in this regard. Finally, given the need to 
diversify away from the production of oil, Members also suggested greater promotion of renewable energy sources, including the avoidance of fuel subsidies. 
5.24.  I encourage Saudi Arabia to continue through its reform process towards diversification and 
transformation to a knowledge based economy. It would be very appealing to come back in 2020 to the Kingdom's third Trade Policy Review, and list these last suggestions not as challenges to be 
overcome but as achievements in their road to success. Thank you. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
5.25.  Let me first express our sincere appreciation to the delegation of Saudi Arabia for the timely 
replies provided and for the comprehensive presentation on Monday and today. 
5.26.  The EU notes that this review has been very helpful for better understanding the reforms 
carried out since 2010. The EU encourages Saudi Arabia to take duly into account the concerns expressed by several Members in respect to the need to diversify further the economy and to 
improve the investment climate. 
5.27.  The EU has submitted a couple of follow-up qu estions concerning the intellectual property 
rights and we look forward to the replies in due course. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  THE SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU 
5.28.  First of all, the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu wishes to 
thank the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the replies it has given to our written questions, as well as for its contribution to th is morning's meeting and the exercise taking place 
this week which has been under preparation for several months. 
5.29.  We hope that this Trade Policy Review of Saudi Arabia will have been an opportunity for the 
country to gather useful comments, and for the other WTO Members to gather observations on 
Saudi Arabia's trade policies and measures. 
5.30.  We encourage the Kingdom to pursue its efforts to facilitate trade, and in particular to 
simplify import and export procedures and cust oms formalities, and to improve sustainably its 
general economic environment. 
5.31.  We should like to reiterate our hope of seeing Saudi Arabia diversify its economy by 
encouraging investment and competition. 
5.32.  In conclusion the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu 
welcome the efforts of the Permanent Mission of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of H.E. Mr 
Ambassador Al Otaibi. We also thank the Discussant, H.E. Mr Ambassador Molinari, for his highly pertinent comments. WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
6.1.  This second Trade Policy Review has come at an important moment for the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia. For several years, before and after the last review, high oil prices had allowed the economy and Government revenues to grow strongly and public debt to fall. Since 2014, however, the sharp 
decline in oil prices has reversed this trend. The fiscal deficit stood at 15% of GDP in 2015.  
6.2.  The challenges facing Saudi Arabia and the measures taken to respond to these challenges 
were clearly acknowledged by Members and addr essed by the Saudi delegation, headed by 
H.E. Mr. Abdolazeez Al Otaibi (Ambassador, Pe rmanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia to the WTO) while our discussant, H.E. Mr. Alvaro Cedeño Molinari (Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the WTO), greatly helped our discussion with his analysis and assessment of the Kingdom's economic and trade policies. The questions and 
comments from the 43 delegations that spoke on Monday, and the responses from the Saudi 
delegation, also contributed to a very useful discussion. 
6.3.  Among the specific issues raised, economic diversification was without doubt a prominent 
one. As many delegations noted, this was a matter of priority in Saudi Arabia's 9th and 10th 
Development Plans, and to some extent government policies seemed to be working: some delegations listed, for instance, plastics, refined hydrocarbons, and manufactured goods, along 
with oil as their main imports from Saudi Arabia. However, the fact remained that oil industry still 
dominated the economy and related export earnings , and still made up the bulk of Government 
revenue. Many Members encouraged Saudi Arabia to st ep up its diversification efforts, not only to 
mitigate the immediate impact of lowering oil prices, but also to prepare for a less oil-dependent 
future, as countries moved to alternative energy sources and tried to reduce their carbon 
footprints for sustainable development.  
6.4.  One way to promote diversification is to improve the trade and investment environment. In 
this connection, some delegations noted that Saudi Arabia had a relatively simple trading regime 
with low tariffs on most products. They welcomed in particular the simplified import/export procedures and the notification of Category A commitments under the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement, and were pleased to know that ratifica tion of the Agreement was at an advance stage. 
However, they also pointed out that more could be done, and that continuing reform, such as the extension of the pilot project for the single window could help reduce the burden of customs procedures. Some delegations also raised concerns about sanitary and phytosanitary measures, 
technical requirements and standards, and how they were developed and applied. 
6.5.  On the investment side, Members acknowledged that Saudi Arabia had a generally open 
regime, and that more sectors had been open to foreign investment since the last review. 
Nevertheless, various restrictions still existe d, and Members were still concerned about the 
complex licensing regime, minimum Saudi investment requirements, and requirements to employ Saudi nationals. There was also interest in the privatization programme for state-owned 
enterprises. 
6.6.  Some delegations called on Saudi Arabia to accede to the Government Procurement 
Agreement and the expanded Information Technology  Agreement. They were pleased to note from 
Saudi Arabia's opening statement that relevant legislation was being reviewed, and that an impact 
assessment on joining the Government Procurement Agreement was under way. 
6.7.  As several Members pointed out, a knowledge-b ased economy would benefit from a strong 
system for the registration and protection of inte llectual property rights. They noted the progress 
made by Saudi Arabia in this regard, including the ongoing review to bring current laws into line 
with the TRIPS Agreement.  
6.8.  This is only one example of Saudi Arabia's initiatives to ensure compliance with the WTO 
Agreements. Indeed, since its accession to the WTO in 2005, the Kingdom has attached great 
importance to its membership, and has taken an increasingly active role in regular committees, in negotiations, as well as in dispute settlement as a third party, demonstrating its confidence in, and commitment to the multilateral trading system.  WT/TPR/M/333 • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
 
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  6.9.  This Trade Policy Review will be successfully concluded in a month's time when Saudi Arabia 
replies to all the outstanding questions, if any, but I hope the many constructive comments that the Discussant and Members have offered at this revi ew will continue to help Saudi Arabia further 
develop its trade and economic policies, so that come the next TPR, it can show that it has made 
further progress in diversifying the economy and improving the business climate in the country, 
and that it remains a strong advocate of the multilateral trading system.  
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