New Delhi, July 2 -- PARIS - Thirty French companies have chosen Riyadh as their Middle East headquarters. Companies do not move regional bases on the strength of a trade statistic. They move them on the strength of a conviction about where a region's economic center of gravity is going, and those thirty have already placed their bet.

from SR7 billion five years ago to SR19 billion now, roughly $5.06 billion, a tripling of the cumulative base. Approximately 500 French companies operate inside Saudi Arabia, employing around 16,000 French nationals.

Sultan Al-Musallam, Secretary-General of the Federation of Saudi Chambers, framed the relationship in its fundamental currency rather than its headline figures. "Business relationships can onl...