Yesterday, the activities of the UAE-China Business and Investment Forum were concluded in Beijing, on the sidelines of a state visit made by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to the People’s Republic of China, at the head of a high-level delegation.
During the forum, 12 agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed and exchanged between Emirati and Chinese companies and entities in a wide range of priority fields, such as aluminum, communications, iron and steel, financial services, aviation, free zones, industry, and others.
The Minister of Investment, Mohammed Hassan Al-Suwaidi, and the Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, participated in the forum, along with an economic delegation from the UAE, which included senior officials in government agencies, business leaders, and representatives of a group of companies operating in various sectors.
From the Chinese side, a number of senior government officials attended, including a member of the Standing Committee of Shenzhen, Wang Shuri, and the Deputy Mayor of Chengdu, Chen Xiong, in addition to representatives of the private sector and major Chinese companies.
Discussions during the forum included exploring promising opportunities in sectors expected to achieve significant growth, with a particular focus on information and communications technology, manufacturing, financial services, logistics, and energy.
Within the forum’s activities, three sessions were held, focusing on high-growth sectors that are of common interest to both parties.
Al Suwaidi said that the forum highlighted the strong and prosperous partnership existing between the UAE and China, especially in light of the continuous increase in Chinese investments in the UAE, after they rose by more than 16% over the past year to $1.3 billion, constituting 60% of China’s total investments in Arab countries. .
He added: “Our investments in energy and infrastructure projects in China support its economic progress, while Chinese investments in technology and renewable energy stimulate innovation in the UAE.” He stressed that “the opportunities for cooperation between the UAE and China are limitless, and that the two friendly countries can work together.” Paving the way for a brighter and more prosperous future.”
In turn, Al-Zeyoudi, during his opening speech at the forum, focused on the promising potential to advance partnership relations between the two countries to new levels, noting that the volume of non-oil bilateral trade, which recorded $81 billion in 2023, according to UAE statistics, may exceed $200 billion by 2030. .
He said: “China is our most prominent trading partner in the world, as it represents about one-sixth of our total trade of non-oil goods with the world, while the UAE enjoys a distinguished position as China’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa region, if oil is excluded from its trade. “Our relationship with China is gaining greater importance as we seek to achieve ambitious growth goals based on expanding foreign trade, adopting technology, and stimulating the flow of investment.”
For his part, Chinese Deputy Minister of Commerce, Ling Jie, said that this forum builds on 40 years of prosperous Chinese-Emirati relations, and its goal is to anticipate the future and shape a brighter tomorrow with the UAE, in line with the ambitions of the two friendly countries.
He added that there are promising prospects for the development of Chinese-Emirati relations, in light of the recent development they have witnessed in raising them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, and the forum is an important platform for strengthening the economic, trade and investment partnership, by providing more opportunities for the business communities on both sides.
70 participants
From the Emirati side, more than 70 participants participated in the Emirati-Chinese Business and Investment Forum, including senior government officials from federal and local bodies, in addition to representatives of a number of major Emirati companies operating in various sectors, including logistics services, industry, energy, technology and care. Health, environment, agriculture, food security and financial services.
The agreements covered several areas, including aluminum, communications, financial services, aviation, and free zones.
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