Software, telecommunications and digital infrastructure
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.
China Asset Management (Hong Kong) and Qatar's Lesha Bank have agreed to establish Qatar's first Sharia-compliant China equity fund. The fund could potentially scale up to $1 billion to provide GCC high-net-worth investors direct access to Chinese equities.
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