Understand the policies, laws and regulations shaping business across China and the UAE.
Business registration · Investment · Taxation · Customs · Trade · Financial regulation · Employment · Visas · Free-zone policies. Every update identifies the issuing authority, jurisdiction, publication date, effective date and official source.
Under Federal Tax Authority Decision No. 17 of 2026, UAE businesses can recover input VAT on six categories of employee expenses following rules that took effect on October 1. Eligible expenses include transport, accommodation, mobile services, and parking, subject to documented policies or contractual obligations. Taxable entities must retain compliance documentation for tax audits.
The UAE Financial Intelligence Unit and Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate anti-money laundering enforcement. The agreement establishes formal channels for exchanging supervisory data, intelligence, and regulatory insight on virtual asset service providers. It aims to strengthen compliance supervision across Dubai's mainland, free zones, and special development zones.
UAE Financial Intelligence Unit, Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention has introduced mandatory limits on sodium, sugar, and saturated fats in selected packaged food items. The phased requirements apply to domestic and imported goods, with full compliance required by December 31, 2030. Non-compliant businesses face fines reaching up to Dh500,000.
Chinese direct investment in the UAE surpassed $12 billion in 2025 as Chinese technology initiatives expanded across cloud computing and digital services. Concurrently, US export rules require Gulf nations to strip Chinese hardware from core networks to maintain access to advanced American AI semiconductors. UAE firms like G42 have removed Chinese equipment, balancing deepening Chinese commercial ties against American technological conditions.
U.S. Department of Commerce
United States
Effective July 1, 2026
Final rule
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