Ports, shipping, aviation cargo, warehousing and trade
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.
The UAE is creating an artificial intelligence-enabled system to notify commercial exporters when goods face market barriers and suggest alternative destinations. Foreign Trade Undersecretary Fahad Al-Gergawi stated the system will help exporters manage rising global tariffs. UAE non-oil foreign trade expanded 27 percent in 2025 to reach 3.8 trillion dirhams.
Bilateral trade between Dubai and China reached approximately $99 billion, with non-oil trade expanding by 118.4 percent compared to 2016 levels. Chinese direct investment projects in Dubai increased to 91 in 2025, up from 11 in 2021. In regional finance, Qatar's Lesha Bank and ChinaAMC partnered to launch a Shari'a-compliant China equity fund.
UAE Presidential Special Envoy Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak held bilateral talks in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to evaluate commercial and economic cooperation initiatives. The meeting follows data released by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed showing Dubai-China non-oil trade reached AED 363.5 billion in 2025. Dubai Chambers is also preparing to dispatch its largest business delegation to Shenzhen under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
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