Page 364 - MOET PR REPORT- SEPTEMBER 2025

Global Digital Trade Expo opens in China with UAE

participation

• Thursday, September 25, 2025 12:21 PM
• 2 minutes Reading

The fourth Global Digital Trade Expo opened on Thursday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, with the
UAE taking part as an official Guest of Honour alongside Indonesia.

The opening ceremony was attended by Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Ambassador to
China; Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy and Tourism and head
of the UAE delegation; Muhannad Sulaiman Al Naqbi, UAE Consul-General in Shanghai; as well as
senior officials, representatives of government entities and national companies.

In his address, Al Saleh underscored the importance of the event in strengthening global economic
cooperation, particularly in digital trade, which he described as a driver of growth and sustainable
development. He thanked China for inviting the UAE as the Guest of Honour and praised the
organisation of the expo.

Al Saleh said UAE-China ties had expanded significantly over the past four decades, making the
UAE China’s top non-oil trading partner in the Middle East and Africa and a gateway for more than
60 percent of China’s trade with the region. China is now the UAE’s largest global trading partner,
reflecting the depth of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

He added that the digital economy currently accounts for about 12 percent of the UAE’s non-oil
GDP, with plans to double that share to 20 percent by 2031 as the country strengthens its role as a
global hub for advanced technologies and digital investment. The UAE was also the first country to
appoint a minister of artificial intelligence in 2017.

According to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2025, the UAE ranked 10th globally for inbound
foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2024, achieving an unprecedented US$45.6 billion in FDI inflows.
Al Saleh highlighted that Chinese investment in the UAE totals about $9 billion, while more than
16,500 Chinese companies operate in the country, many in digital trade and advanced
technologies.

He also invited Chinese firms in digital trade and emerging technologies to view the UAE as a
strategic launchpad into Middle Eastern, African and Asian markets.

The UAE pavilion at the expo features ten government and private exhibitors showcasing national
initiatives in digital transformation, AI, FinTech, and smart government services.

The event runs until 29th September at the Hangzhou Grand Convention and Exhibition Centre,
covering 155,000 square metres – the largest edition since the expo’s launch in 2022. More than
1,700 companies are taking part, including 360 international exhibitors, with over 40,000
professional visitors expected, 10,000 of them from abroad.

https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/other/global-digital-trade-expo-opens-in-china-with-uae-
participation/ar-AA1NgStP?ocid=BingNewsSerp