Dubai Internet City Drives Stronger Business Ties with Chinese Companies

In a strategic visit to the People’s Republic of China, Dubai Internet City (DIC), the leading technology business community in the region, explored several avenues for greater collaboration with Chinese companies from diverse technology segments, with an aim to unlock partnerships and foster innovation.  

According to the ‘Dubai FDI Monitor’, the majority of investments into Dubai in 2015 were in the medium to high-tech industries. This trend is supported by an increasing number of Chinese technology companies operating in DIC already, such as China Telecom Global-Middle East and Africa, Union Pay and electronics giant, Huawei, which celebrated 15 years at DIC last year and announced the establishment of its national headquarters within the community, reinforcing its long-term commitment to the region.  

Spearheading the UAE’s journey towards an innovation-driven economy, DIC is a major contributor to the MENA region’s digital transformation story. Commenting on the huge potential of international collaboration, Ammar Al Malik, Executive Director Dubai Internet City, said: “China is a very important market and a valued partner of the UAE. We see huge potential to build on this partnership through offering Chinese technology companies the ideal environment to set up business or expand their footprint in the region.”

He added: “DIC seeks to provide a diverse, vibrant environment that enables technology companies to innovate, thrive and grow their business. The China visit presented a major opportunity for us to support the UAE’s growth and diversification agenda while encouraging global tech leaders to come to the region. The trip was hugely successful - we were able to reach out to the Chinese tech community and build relationships with key players in the technology space with the aim to attract new talent to the mix of Fortune 500 corporations, SMEs and startups that constitutes our community.”

The week-long visit, from 19 to 25 April 2017, highlighted how Chinese companies can benefit from the integrated technology ecosystem that DIC offers. A crucial part of DIC’s agenda included its participation at the China Shanghai International Technology Fair 2017 that ran from 20 to 22 April at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.

The team also attended a business forum hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and China Corporate United Pavilion. The forum drew the participation of several high-ranking Chinese government officials including representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce. With over 50 large and medium-sized technology companies in attendance, the forum gave Chinese companies the opportunity to learn more about DIC’s strategic approach to building technology centred partnerships.

In the final leg of the tour, the DIC team joined Falcon and Associates, a strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership, and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry on a roadshow to Shenzhen. Seeking to identify best practices and understand the needs of potential business partners, the roadshow visited leading business forums such as the Shenzhen International Science & Technology Business Platform and global technology companies including Huawei and Tencent Technology.