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1/21/25, 3:11 PM UAE's Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements: A path to enhanced global trade in 2025 - Economy Middle East
Excellency Anwar Ibrahim, prime Minister of Malaysia. This agreement is intended to accelerate bilateral trade,
promote private sector collaboration, and create new investment opportunities in high-growth sectors. The UAE-
Malaysia CEPA aims to reduce or eliminate tariffs on a wide array of goods, streamline trade procedures, and
improve market access for service exports. Malaysia, the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia, is already one
of the UAE’s primary trading partners in the ASEAN region, with non-oil bilateral trade reaching $4.9 billion in
2023 and $4 billion in the first nine months of 2024.

The UAE is also Malaysia’s second-largest trade partner in the Arab world, accounting for 32 percent of
Malaysia’s trade with Arab nations. This agreement is expected to establish the UAE as a strategic hub for
Malaysian exports to the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond while opening the ASEAN market to UAE
investors and entrepreneurs.

UAE’s CEPA program as a cornerstone of trade strategy
The UAE’s CEPA program is a fundamental aspect of its strategy to elevate non-oil foreign trade to AED4 trillion
($1.1 trillion) by 2031 and promote international cooperation with key markets, such as the ASEAN bloc, which
boasts a GDP exceeding $2.9 trillion and a population of 647 million people. With CEPAs already in effect with
Indonesia and Cambodia, the UAE is strengthening its connections to the region and solidifying its status as a
global trade hub that links high-growth economies and expands opportunities for the private sector across Asia.
UAE-Kenya Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement highlights
Additionally, on the same day, the UAE and Kenya formalized a CEPA at Qasr Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, aimed at
deepening trade and investment relationships, strengthening supply chains, and enhancing market access
throughout the Middle East and Africa. President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dr.
William Samoei Ruto, president of Kenya, oversaw the signing. Sheikh Mohamed welcomed this agreement as a
testament to the UAE’s commitment to enhancing economic ties across Africa and generating new opportunities
for businesses and investors. He stated that the CEPA will not only boost trade and investment but also promote
innovation and sustainable growth in key sectors such as agriculture, retail, healthcare, financial services,
technology, and tourism. The UAE looks forward to deepening its relations with Kenya and further expanding its
developmental partnerships in Africa.

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