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Economic Ties

Qatar and the US have enjoyed close economic ties since the early 1990s, largely due to the two countries’ consistent economic policies. In 2010, the American Chamber of Commerce established the first-ever foreign chamber of commerce in Qatar.

The economic relationship is multifaceted:

  • Qatar and the US signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in April of 2004, and our two nations now trade more than $6.3 billion dollars in goods each year.
  • In 2014, Qatar imported $5.3 billion of American products, making it the fourth largest importer of American goods in the Middle East. Qatar fully expects to continue to be a valued economic partner in the foreseeable future.
  • Qatar and the US maintain a cooperative approach to energy (oil and gas) investment and development. Even as numerous energy giants develop oil and gas resources in Qatar, Qatar is assisting in key developments in the US, including the Golden Pass LNG export terminal in Texas co-ventured by ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum.
  • In March 2014, 21 US business leaders accompanied US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on her trade mission in the Middle East, which ended with a visit to Qatar.
  • Qatar’s landmark $700 million investment in the CityCenterDC development in Washington, DC was one of the country’s first investments in the US property market.
  • Qatar’s investments are diverse – the country has invested in technology, media and entertainment, energy, retail, real estate development and more.
  • The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) aims to increase and strengthen investments in the US, with plans to invest $35 billion in the US market over the next five years, creating thousands of American jobs.
  • In September 2015, QIA opened its first US office in New York City in order to better access new and existing investment partners.

Qatar and the US inaugurated their first US-Qatar Economic and Investment Dialogue in October of 2015, marking a milestone in the bilateral economic relationship between the two countries. The dialogue will serve as an annual forum for convening key decision makers to identify concrete steps to bolster financial, investment, and economic relations.