Dubai Business Forum – China Concludes in Shenzhen with Record Delegation and Expansive Economic Partnerships
The prestigious Dubai Business Forum – China has concluded in Shenzhen, convening over 850 leading Chinese investors and business leaders alongside Dubai's largest overseas business delegation, comprising 112 senior representatives from the emirate's public and private sectors.
The inaugural Dubai Business Forum – China has concluded in Shenzhen, representing a landmark occasion in the deepening commercial relationship between the United Arab Emirates and China. The gathering brought together 854 prominent Chinese investors and business leaders, accompanied by the largest business delegation ever led by Dubai Chambers to an event beyond Dubai’s shores. This exceptional assembly comprised 112 senior representatives from both the public and private sectors, underscoring the breadth and significance of Dubai’s engagement with the Chinese market.
Held under the evocative theme of “Momentum at Scale: Accelerating Shared Success,” the forum was organised by Dubai Chambers in collaboration with the Shenzhen Chamber of International Commerce and the China Chamber of International Commerce Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce. The occasion featured 22 distinguished expert speakers presenting across 15 carefully curated sessions, each exploring the extraordinary potential for bilateral cooperation in sectors defining tomorrow’s economy: artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, logistics, smart mobility, the digital economy, and venture capital.
Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Dubai Chambers, articulated the profound foundations upon which this partnership rests. “The relationship between Dubai and China is built on decades of engagement, cooperation, and shared ambition,” he observed, highlighting how mutual trust and aligned development visions have cultivated robust and expanding trade ties. He emphasised that contemporary economic complementarities now present opportunities to transcend traditional commercial relations, advancing instead towards a more sophisticated phase characterised by innovation, investment, and collective value creation.
The economic dimensions of this partnership are particularly striking. China now stands as Dubai’s foremost global trading partner. Non-oil trade has experienced remarkable expansion over the preceding decade, ascending from AED166.4 billion in 2016 to approximately AED363.5 billion in 2025, representing an extraordinary growth trajectory of 118.4 percent. During this same period, Dubai has attracted more than 300 foreign direct investment projects originating from China, with aggregate capital exceeding AED24.6 billion.
The presence of Chinese enterprises within Dubai’s commercial ecosystem has expanded substantially. The number of Chinese companies registered as active members of Dubai Chamber of Commerce has more than tripled since 2016, reaching 6,650 by September 2026. Over 3,830 of these companies operate across Dubai’s trade and services sectors, representing approximately 58 percent of all Chinese member enterprises. This expansion reflects Dubai’s strategic positioning as a gateway enabling Chinese businesses to access, trade within, and expand across multiple markets.
The forum showcased Dubai’s Agentic AI transformation programme, an ambitious initiative designed to accelerate the adoption of advanced artificial intelligence technologies across the private sector. Currently engaging 14,000 private sector companies in specialised training, the programme aspires to empower more than 295,000 companies whilst developing and deploying 100 specialised AI assistants over two years.
Specialist sessions explored the convergence of Chinese manufacturing and innovation capabilities with Dubai’s extensive regional and global connectivity, particularly within sustainable mobility solutions. Discussions illuminated Dubai’s role as a real-world testbed for city-wide artificial intelligence applications and examined opportunities within autonomous mobility development, supported by advanced regulatory frameworks and innovation-enabling infrastructure.
The forum further examined the pivotal role of logistics connectivity and digital trade in supporting global company expansion, highlighting integrated infrastructure encompassing ports, airports, and artificial intelligence-powered systems. Notably, between 2024 and 2025, non-oil trade between Dubai and China expanded by almost 23 percent, whilst Chinese foreign direct investment into Dubai nearly tripled, rising from approximately AED1.2 billion to more than AED3.4 billion.
Source: WAM