Wilbur Ross says he sees ‘liberalizing’ changes during Saudi business talks

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Monday that Saudi Arabia has shown sign of “liberalizing” their society in business talks over the weekend.

“Clearly, there’s a big sea change underway. There’s no question that they’re liberalizing their society,” Mr. Ross said on CNBC.

The Commerce secretary pointed to Sarah Al-Suhaimi, who was appointed as board chair to the Saudi Stock Exchange earlier this year and participated in the panel discussion over the weekend, as an example of the change he sees in the region.

“That’s a very unusual event and to my knowledge the first time a woman has been the head of an exchange in that region and for sure the first time in Saudi,” he said.

Mr. Ross also said he had positive discussions during his visit to the region and reached several agreements, including an arms deal that could total $350 billion over 10 years.