Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah's Department of Government Relations, met with Ou Boqian, Consul General of China in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, on 12 October 2026. The discussions addressed commercial and industrial partnerships in artificial intelligence, regional data centers, healthcare, and automotive manufacturing. Bilateral trade between Sharjah and China stood at approximately AED 6.3 billion in 2025, and 851 Chinese enterprises were registered and operating in the emirate as of June 2026. The parties also evaluated plans to set up a dedicated Chinese cultural and language institute in Sharjah.
Simultaneously, Dubai highlighted its expanding commercial links with China as non-oil bilateral trade reached AED 363.5 billion in 2025, up from AED 2.1 billion in 1990. According to the Emirates News Agency, China is currently Dubai's leading global trading partner. In support of these links, Dubai Chambers prepared to dispatch an economic delegation to Shenzhen to attend the Dubai Business Forum – China on 14 October 2026, targeting cooperation in electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, logistics, and digital infrastructure.
Additional bilateral engagements included a delegation led by the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology attending the China International Industry Fair 2026 in Shanghai from 12 to 16 October to attract advanced manufacturing investment. Furthermore, reports citing Atlantic Council data noted that the multilateral mBridge cross-border platform processed over 4,000 transactions totaling $55.5 billion, with about 95 percent settled in digital yuan, alongside a settlement corridor established by CNPC and Bank of China linking Macau and the UAE.
Sources
- UAE-China Chamber of Commerce (UECN) · 2026-10-12
