Dubai: DMCC, the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, has announced growth of over 16% in Chinese businesses joining its district in the past 12 months, bringing its total to over 1,000 Chinese companies. The announcement was made during DMCC’s latest Made For Trade Live (MFTL) roadshow to China that featured events in the Yangtze River Delta cities of Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou – three of the country’s most dynamic centres for technology and advanced manufacturing.
According to Emirates News Agency, the roadshow highlighted DMCC’s growing role as a regional launchpad for China’s innovation-focused companies, recording double-digit annual growth in Chinese companies for five consecutive years – including 19% in 2022, 21% in 2023, and 17% in 2024 – driven largely by firms in AI, blockchain, Web3, and digital infrastructure. DMCC now hosts more than 130 Chinese technology companies within a wider community of over 3,400 tech firms, offering Chinese businesses a purpose-built platform for international expansion through Dubai.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC, stated, “China is now the UAE’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding USD 102 billion last year, and that figure projected to double by 2030. This growth is underpinned by deeper cooperation across trade, investment, and innovation – particularly in AI and other frontier technologies, where China has seen rapid growth in recent years.”
He further emphasized the sustained momentum, noting the double-digit annual growth in Chinese companies joining DMCC for five straight years, including more than 16% growth in the past 12 months. Currently, DMCC is home to more than 1,000 Chinese companies, over 135 of them in technology, as the district continues to refine its value proposition as the district of choice for ambitious Chinese firms expanding globally from Dubai.
During the roadshow, over 750 Chinese business leaders across all three cities were briefed on key sectors, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and tokenized assets – areas of growing strategic alignment between both countries.
The visit comes at a time when UAE-China economic ties are broadening beyond trade into areas of strategic co-investment, innovation, and global market integration. With DMCC accounting for 15% of Dubai’s annual FDI inflows and contributing around 7% of the emirate’s GDP, the district has become a key vehicle for translating this bilateral momentum into commercial opportunity. As both countries strengthen cooperation through BRICS+ and deepen their shared focus on the digital economy, DMCC is positioned to play a central role in facilitating the next wave of China’s global expansion.