Organizations from Dubai and China signed ten memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in connection with the latest Dubai Business Forum, held in Shenzhen on October 14. The agreements span trade, investment, technology, and industry, including plans for a logistics facility in Dubai involving an investment expected to exceed AED 500 million (USD 136.1 million).
Organized by Dubai Chambers, the forum brought together government officials, investors, and business leaders from both markets to explore cross-border partnerships. Artificial intelligence featured prominently in the discussions.
Six of the agreements involved Dubai Chambers and Chinese business organizations, including chambers of commerce in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Chongqing, as well as two Greater Bay Area business associations. The partnerships aim to connect businesses, facilitate investment, and improve information sharing between the two markets.
The other four MoUs covered technology, jewelry, and logistics. Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy signed an agreement with Alibaba Cloud to support cooperation in the digital economy, while Dubai CommerCity partnered with Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park. Another agreement involved jewelry industry organizations from Dubai and Guangdong.
The fourth outlined plans for a joint venture between Dubai-based Gargash Prime and JD Property, the infrastructure investment arm of Chinese e-commerce company JD.com, to develop a logistics facility in Dubai.
Signed on October 13 during the Dubai Chambers delegation’s visit to Shenzhen, the agreement concerns a proposed regional distribution and fulfillment hub at Dubai Industrial City. The investment is expected to exceed AED 500 million, although the final cost has yet to be determined, Gargash Prime managing director and group CEO Shehab Gargash told Khaleej Times. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the first phase taking approximately 18 months to complete.
The Shenzhen gathering marked the fifth international edition of the Dubai Business Forum and its second in China, following the first China edition in Beijing in August 2024. Other editions have been held in London, Hamburg, and New York.
The forum supports Dubai’s economic agenda, D33, which aims to double the emirate’s GDP by 2033 through industrial development, export growth, and economic diversification. One of the forum’s objectives was to connect Chinese companies with opportunities to establish operations in Dubai and use the city as a base for expansion across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
AI was another focus for economic cooperation. Dubai Chambers president and CEO Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah discussed opportunities to combine China’s technological capabilities with Dubai’s role as a base for commercialization and international expansion, including the possibility of establishing direct channels for technology cooperation.
Lootah highlighted Dubai Chambers’ agentic AI transformation program, which aims to accelerate adoption of the technology among more than 295,000 private-sector companies. The initiative includes plans to develop 100 specialized AI assistants over two years. Dubai Chambers said it is currently training around 14,000 businesses in agentic AI applications.
The technology push comes amid expanding economic ties between Dubai and China, the emirate’s largest trading partner.
Bilateral non-oil trade reached AED 363.5 billion (USD 99 billion) in 2025, up nearly 23% year-on-year, according to Dubai Chambers. Chinese foreign direct investment into Dubai also nearly tripled, rising from approximately AED 1.2 billion (USD 326.8 million) in 2024 to more than AED 3.4 billion (USD 925.8 million) in 2025.
The number of active Chinese companies registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce reached 6,650 as of September this year, more than three times the figure recorded in 2016.
The forum also explored how businesses could put AI to use. In a session featuring representatives from Tencent Cloud and Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, participants discussed enterprise adoption of the technology and the transition from pilot projects to commercially viable applications.
Other participating companies included Huawei Cloud, BYD, China Merchants Capital, CICC, and DP World, whose representatives contributed to discussions on AI infrastructure, mobility, investment, and global supply chains. The event featured a total of 22 speakers across 15 sessions.
The invitation-only forum attracted 854 Chinese investors and business leaders, according to Dubai Chambers. They were joined by a 112-member Dubai delegation, the largest overseas business delegation organized by Dubai Chambers to date.
The event also included business matchmaking activities connecting Chinese companies with Dubai government representatives, investors, and businesses to explore market entry and partnership opportunities.
36Kr Global was an official partner of the first China edition of the Dubai Business Forum in Beijing and reprised its role for the Shenzhen edition on October 14, supporting Chinese participation and facilitating engagement with delegates from Dubai.
Note: AED figures are converted to USD at rates of AED 3.67 = USD 1 based on estimates as of October 16, 2026, unless otherwise stated. USD conversions are approximate and, where appropriate, rounded for ease of reference. They may not fully match prevailing exchange rates.
