Saudi Arabia is one of Bahrain’s key trading partners JEDDAH: Trade between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain has returned to the pre-pandemic levels with new figures revealing $1.48 billion in bilateral trade during the first half of the year. In the first six months of 2020, the figures were up 2 percent from the same period last year, in which a total of $1.45 billion in trade was recorded between the two countries. June’s figures showed the positive economic impact of support measures on the economies of both countries, with trade returning to $262.9 million — the highest levels since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) struck the region in March this year. Compared to 2019, the month showed a substantial year-on-year rise of 52.45 percent. Saudi Arabia is one of Bahrain’s key trading partners, with imports and exports flowing between the two nations via the King Fahd Causeway. Officials have been working to increase facilities for commercial traffic, with recent renovation works including an increase in capacity by 45 percent and new gates on the Saudi side. It was also recently announced that Bahrain Customs has installed high-tech artificial intelligence scanners at the causeway, automating data collection and allowing shipment inspections to take place before reaching the border. According to the new figures, Bahrain’s overall trade for the year-half reached $10.4 billion globally, including $2.9 billion to the GCC.