Saudi Crown Prince offers $600 billion investment pledge in Trump call

Riyadh: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman told President Donald Trump that his country is willing to expand its investments and trade with the US in the coming four years by $600 billion, or even more if opportunities arose, according to the state-run news agency SPA.

The Crown Prince spoke to the American president in a congratulatory phone call on Wednesday, SPA said.

Both men, who have had warm ties since Trump’s first tenure, also discussed cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the US in efforts to bring peace and stability in the Middle East, and to fight terrorism.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Crown Prince’s move could help secure a return visit by Trump to his country. The US leader’s first overseas trip as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia, which Trump earlier this week said came after the kingdom agreed a substantial investment in buying US goods, including weaponry.

Trump told reporters he’d be happy to visit Saudi Arabia again if it wanted to buy another $450 billion or $500 billion worth of US goods. The $600 billion offer would easily clear that threshold.