Ports, shipping, aviation cargo, warehousing and trade
German carrier Condor has begun daily year-round flights connecting Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport. The route is operated with an Airbus A320neo under a codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways. The service strengthens capital-to-capital links despite regional airspace restrictions and flight disruptions across the Middle East.
UAE-based Gargash Prime and JINGDONG Property, the infrastructure arm of JD.com, have signed a memorandum of understanding to invest in a joint venture developing a logistics facility in Dubai. The planned hub will cover 2.5 million square feet (approximately 250,000 square metres) of land to serve regional distribution and fulfilment needs. The agreement was executed during the Dubai Business Forum – China held in Shenzhen.
The UAE is investing billions of dirhams to expand rail and metro networks, including Etihad Rail passenger operations and over AED 54 billion in planned Dubai metro lines. However, transport and urban planning experts emphasize that overcoming car dependency requires significantly improving station accessibility, feeder routes, and dedicated transit corridors. Incomplete integration and lengthy feeder travel times currently keep private vehicles as the more convenient option for many commuters.
Bilateral trade between China and the UAE reached $108 billion in 2025, with Chinese direct investment standing at $2.6 billion. Over 6,650 Chinese companies are registered with Dubai Chambers as firms including Meituan, Baidu, J&T Express, and Huawei scale regional operations.
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