SABIC and BOAO forum for Asia to jointly host Riyadh conference

SABIC today announced that it will partner with Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) to co-host a two-day international conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia starting February 11.

In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the conference aims to deepen economic cooperation within Asia, and to boost the efforts of the Business 20 (B20) group of the G20 that will be hosted by Saudi Arabia this year.

It is the first time that BFA, an international organization that promotes economic development, has held a conference in Saudi Arabia and more than 300 global opinion leaders and senior representatives from government and corporations are expected to attend.

Under the theme ‘Empowering Collaboration, Building a shared future’, the event will explore a range of topical issues for Saudi Arabia and Asia including cross-regional cooperation and sustainable development.

Yousef Al-Benyan, SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO, as well as BFA board of directors member, said, "This is an important and timely conference that can help strengthen business ties between KSA and the Asian region and aligns with SABIC's efforts to drive cross-regional collaboration.”

In 2020, Saudi Arabia will host the G20 and B20 Summit in addition to BFA Riyadh Conference, forming a series of global conferences that are expected to create significant synergy within the country.

“We recognize the complementary aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030 and China's Belt & Road Initiative and believe we can make a compelling contribution to these critically important programs. We look forward to hosting this top-level conference.” Al-Benyan added.

Among those confirmed to attend the BFA Riyadh Conference in February are Ban Ki-moon, BFA Chairman & eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations; Li Baodong, BFA Secretary General & Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China; Margaret Chan, Member of Council of Advisors for BFA, President of the Global Health Forum of BFA & Emeritus Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO); Mao Chaofeng, BFA Board Member & Executive Vice Governor of Hainan Province; and Chen Weiqing, Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.