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Dubai Chambers announced plans to organise the fifth edition of its flagship Dubai Business Forum in Shenzhen on October 14, 2026, according to a statement from the organisation. The event, themed ‘Momentum at Scale: Accelerating Shared Success’, will convene senior government officials, business leaders, investors and representatives from both public and private sectors to identify fresh avenues for cooperation in trade and investment. Dubai Chambers has maintained representative offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong for years to support such bilateral engagement and gather market intelligence across high-technology, manufacturing, finance and logistics sectors. The forum builds on previous editions held in Beijing, London and New York, the organisation noted in its announcement.
Non-oil trade between China and the UAE exceeded 100 billion dollars for the first time in 2025 with annual growth of 24.5 percent, a report published by China Daily stated. Bilateral trade volumes reached 101.8 billion dollars in 2024, roughly 800 times the level recorded when diplomatic relations began in 1984, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More than 15,000 Chinese companies now operate across the UAE, a figure that has roughly doubled since 2019, the UAE Minister of Economy has reported. Dubai Chambers highlighted these trends as it continues efforts to position the emirate as a preferred hub for Chinese enterprises seeking regional expansion.
The announcement from Dubai Chambers spotlighted ARIDGE, formerly known as XPENG AEROHT, which selected Dubai as its strategic base for global growth in advanced air mobility. In October 2025 the company completed its first public manned flight demonstration outside China at Skydive Dubai after receiving approval from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, with guidance from Dubai Chambers during the regulatory process. ARIDGE secured purchase agreements for 600 units across the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, its largest overseas order, the statement detailed. The company stated, “With nearly one-third of the global population within a three to six-hour flight radius, Dubai provides an ideal strategic base for eVTOL and Advanced Air Mobility companies to scale efficiently and access surrounding regional markets.” It further noted that Dubai’s forward-looking policy environment has reduced regulatory uncertainty for flying car technologies.
Keeta Drone, the drone delivery unit of Meituan, received the UAE’s first Beyond Visual Line of Sight commercial licence from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority in December 2024 and is expanding operations in the emirate, Dubai Chambers reported in the announcement. Junwei Yang, General Manager of Keeta Drone, said, “In Dubai, the defining difference is the decisive decision-making and willingness to co-build with the operators and partners. The public and private sides are genuinely connected, and it is a very supportive ecosystem.” Yang added that the combination of early technology adoption, greenfield infrastructure for aerial logistics and rapid airspace access has enabled faster deployment than in other assessed markets. The company is collaborating with regulators and developers to test new routes in urban settings including parks, beaches and residential areas.
PingPong, a Chinese-headquartered global payments institution, established a presence in Dubai to handle growing trade-related payment flows between China, the Middle East and Africa, according to the Dubai Chambers statement. Aaron Lu, Co-Founder of PingPong, said, “By anchoring with us in Dubai, they gain a payments foundation that scales across the entire arc from East Asia to Africa, without rebuilding that infrastructure market by market as they grow.” Lu observed that the UAE has become a convergence point for decision-makers from China and regional markets through trade events and chambers of commerce networks, which shortens sales cycles. The company cited the adoption of ISO 20022 standards, the Aani instant payments platform and UAE Pass digital identity system as key infrastructure advantages.
These corporate examples illustrate how Dubai’s advanced infrastructure, regulatory flexibility and public-private collaboration support the testing, deployment and commercialisation of emerging technologies, the Dubai Chambers announcement concluded. The organisation has facilitated connections for such firms with ecosystem stakeholders, investors and authorities to accelerate their regional activities. Such initiatives align with sustained growth in Chinese investment across Dubai’s free zones and technology clusters.
