Dubai free zone DMCC has recorded more than 16 per cent growth in Chinese businesses joining its community over the past 12 months, bringing the total to more than 1,000 companies.
DMCC announced the milestone during its latest “Made For Trade Live” (MFTL) roadshow to China, which hosted events in the Yangtze River Delta cities of Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou—three of the country’s fastest-growing centres for technology and advanced manufacturing.
Double-digit growth five years
DMCC highlighted its growing role as a regional launchpad for China’s innovation-driven enterprises, achieving double-digit annual growth in Chinese companies for five consecutive years – including 19 per cent in 2022, 21 per cent in 2023, and 17 per cent in 2024.
Technology-focused firms specialising in artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Web3, and digital infrastructure drove the latest 16 per cent increase.
DMCC now hosts more than 130 Chinese technology companies within a broader community of over 3,400 tech firms, providing a purpose-built platform for global expansion through Dubai.
China is UAE’s largest trading partner
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC, said the growth reflects deepening economic collaboration between the UAE and China.
He said: “China is now the UAE’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $102bn 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.
“We have seen this momentum firsthand with double-digit annual growth in Chinese companies joining DMCC for five straight years, including more than 16 per cent in the past 12 months.
“Today, DMCC is home to more than 1,000 Chinese companies – over 135 of them in technology – as we continue to refine our value proposition as the district of choice for ambitious Chinese firms expanding globally from Dubai.”
China–UAE innovation ties
During the roadshow, more than 750 Chinese business leaders attended sessions focused on AI, blockchain, and tokenised assets – areas of increasing strategic alignment between the UAE and China.
The event comes as bilateral relations broaden beyond trade into co-investment, innovation, and global market integration. DMCC’s role has become pivotal in this transition, accounting for 15 per cent of Dubai’s annual foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and contributing around 7 per cent of the emirate’s GDP.
China’s global expansion
As both countries strengthen collaboration through BRICS+ and deepen their focus on the digital economy, DMCC positions itself to drive the next wave of Chinese global expansion.
The district continues to attract China’s most dynamic technology, manufacturing, and services companies, underscoring Dubai’s position as a gateway for trade, investment, and innovation between East and West.
