The export and import of goods and services play a major role in the structure of Qatar's Gross Domestic product. Export revenues are the main source of public spending and development financing, while imports are the only means of obtaining various required commodities.
Foreign trade is therefore crucial to the economy.
Excellent foreign relations with a variety of key countries world-wide combined with tolerant and prudent domestic policies have proved conducive to the development of foreign trade. With the substantial increase in industrial activity over the past few years, largely due to the development of natural gas production, there has been a corresponding increase in import and export activities. With regard to the rest of the world, Qatar's main export market is currently Asia, in particular Japan which buys most of the exported crude oil, plus China and India, which import substantial quantities of fertilisers and petrochemicals. The chief buyers of LNG are currently Japan and Korea, although this situation may change in future, in light of the recent economic crisis in the Far Eastern countries. The picture has altered dramatically since the development of LNG projects, as a major percentage of imports are currently related to these.