Saudi Arabia pivots east

Asia will remain the driving force behind global energy demand growth, and the kingdom is poised to meet the region's needs

Asian economies are increasingly strategically important to global oil and gas markets, Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid Al-Falih told AOGC 2017 in the conference's opening address on 8 May. "We are excited about prospects for partnership which enhances Saudi Aramco's position as a leading supplier of energy to Malaysia and the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, which we see as the most important market in the world," he said. The last 30 years have revealed Asia-Pacific as the world's fastest-growing region for energy demand. That, Al-Falih asserted, would continue because of expectations of robust economic growth and demographic trends. "In 2050, half of the top