Chinese firms expand operations and innovation initiatives across Dubai

Bilateral trade between China and the UAE reached $108 billion in 2025, according to official statistics cited by Xinhua. Chinese exports accounted for $72.88 billion, while imports from the UAE stood at $35.12 billion. Chinese direct investment into the UAE totaled $2.6 billion during the same period, making the country China's largest export market and second-largest trading partner in the Middle East.

The presence of Chinese enterprises has expanded in Dubai, where registered active Chinese member companies at Dubai Chambers surpassed 6,650 by the end of September 2026, more than doubling since 2016. Recent commercial deployments include Meituan's food delivery platform Keeta, which entered the market in September 2025, and J&T Express, which invested in an automated warehouse and sorting facility in Dubai Industrial City.

In the mobility sector, Baidu and Dubai Taxi Company rolled out the Apollo Go commercial driverless ride-hailing service in April 2026, following a March 2025 memorandum of understanding with the Roads and Transport Authority to test 100 autonomous taxis. The deployment has been accompanied by regulatory developments, including a comprehensive local framework established in November 2025 and federal self-driving vehicle rules approved in September.

Technology training has also broadened through academic partnerships. Tech firm Huawei integrated its ICT Academy courses on artificial intelligence and cloud computing into official degree programs at Zayed University's College of Technological Innovation.