Non-oil trade between Dubai and China reached 2.1 trillion dirhams ($571.8 billion) between 2016 and 2025, expanding 23 percent in 2025. Chinese direct investment into Dubai surged 179 percent year-on-year to 3.4 billion dirhams in 2025, with active Chinese member companies in the Dubai Chamber reaching 6,650 by September 2026.
Central Bank of the UAE Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama met with People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. The bilateral discussions focused on central banking cooperation, financial infrastructure links, and cross-border capital flows. Officials noted that bilateral non-oil merchandise trade reached AED 410 billion in 2025.
The UAE Capital Market Authority has enhanced its digital access mechanisms, offering a restructured regulatory framework in Arabic and English. The platform categorises regulations into distinct chapters, tracking active rules, approved amendments, repealed clauses, and historical versions. It aims to support international market stakeholders, licensed commercial entities, and investors using cloud-based, AI-ready infrastructure.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development has announced new measures to speed up the process from investment decisions to active business operations. According to ADDED Chairman Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, the initiative focuses on reducing duplicate requirements and coordinating cross-entity licensing. Non-oil sectors contributed 54.7 percent of the emirate's GDP, with commercial setup requirements already cut by 71 percent via the TAMM platform.
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