DOHA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Qatar is aiming to attract more Chinese companies to boost business and investment relations with its largest trading partner, its investment promotion agency, Invest Qatar, said.

Speaking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the Web Summit technology conference in Doha, Mohammed Al-Mulla, Invest Qatar's Head of Asia, highlighted the growing presence of Chinese firms in the Gulf state.

"The growth we have seen from Chinese companies has been vast. We now have more than 250 Chinese companies established in Doha, and we are looking to maintain that pipeline," Al-Mulla said.

The Web Summit Qatar, held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center from Feb. 23-26, saw a record 25,747 attendees from 124 countries and regions, including 1,520 startups and 723 investors.

Qatar, a major liquefied natural gas exporter and financial hub, is also promoting itself as a tourism destination.

Al-Mulla emphasized the importance of China as a trading partner, noting the launch of Invest Qatar's first overseas market in China in 2024, with visits to cities including Suzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Xiamen, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

"Our priority for this year is to maintain that relationship through our aftercare program," he said.

Qatar launched its third National Development Strategy 2024-2030 last year, focused on sustainable economic growth and diversification, the final phase of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

"Our national development strategy, announced last year, highlights the key sectors. China is Qatar's largest trading partner," Al-Mulla said. "We want to capitalize on that. There's a lot of potential to utilize that trade opportunity and attract more Chinese companies to Qatar."

According to a report by Invest Qatar and Accenture, Qatar has invested 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in data and artificial intelligence (AI) and aims to generate 11 billion dollars for the national economy and create 26,000 jobs through AI. Enditem

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