Dubai enters golden era of partnership with China

Dubai's thriving Chinese community was celebrating this week as Chinese LPGA Tour star Feng Shanshan cruised to a third successive Omega Dubai Ladies Masters title, while Luo Ying and Luo Yu claimed victory in the women's badminton doubles at the Dubai World Superseries Finals.

But China is not only succeeding in Dubai's sporting arenas.

Last year, China became Dubai's biggest trading partner, surpassing India for the first time since 2004, after recording a 29-percent increase in trade to $47.6 billion.

Interest in Dubai is also growing among Chinese tourists and investors, supported by the incredible success of Emirates Airline, which this week added the cities of Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Zhengzhou, Henan province, to its global network of more than 140 destinations.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Dubai rose 25 percent in 2014 to 344,000, lured not only by the Burj Al Arab, the unique desert landscape and the rich Arabian culture and heritage, but also its exciting range of adventure activities. The past 18 months has seen a surge in investment in real estate as well as an increase in the number of Chinese businesses establishing offices in the city.

Intrinsic to these developments is Dubai and the UAE's location as a natural hub for exchange and collaboration. They both offer China a gateway of opportunity into Central, South and SouthEast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

With a network of air, sea and road links that enable seamless connectivity with the world, Dubai is a trade, transport and finance hub that now has flights to 11 Chinese cities.

This global connectivity and world-class infrastructure, combined with the ease of doing business and strong and effective governance allow Dubai to be perfectly positioned to partner with China in achieving the goals of its Belt and Road Initiative.

Dubai recognizes the rise of China and the increasingly prominent role it will play in the success of the global economy and Falcon and Associates is committed to forging closer ties.

We enjoy a special relationship that goes far beyond just economics and we continually look for ways to develop new partnerships that are mutually beneficial.

In May, we held a seven-day event in Beijing to celebrate our thriving relationship.

Dubai Week in China, staged in cooperation with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, provided more than 15,000 visitors the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the city and the unprecedented opportunities it presents China across business, tourism, culture and lifestyle.

In addition, we facilitated the 2014 Boao Forum for Asia Financial Cooperation Conference, which brought 350 high-ranking government officials, global finance leaders and academics to Dubai.

China and Dubai have a shared vision on the importance of collaboration and cultural understanding between our people.

With the support of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Falcon launched in 2014 the Dubai Business Internships, a fully funded program offering outstanding Chinese graduates the opportunity to study and do business in Dubai, an initiative that we hope will also contribute to the development of China's future business leaders.

In sports, we facilitated the agreement in 2013 that allowed Dubai to become a sponsor of the Chinese national table tennis team and we look forward to welcoming them for the Asian Table Tennis Union's Asian Cup in April. While recognizing the popularity of badminton in China, we initiated the Dubai World Superseries Finals, which reached a television audience of over 300 million in China.

Whether it's through business, knowledge shared or even sports, this is a very exciting time for Dubai and the UAE's relationship with China.

As the world continues to seek answers to more complex challenges, it is clear we share a range of mutual goals. And with the visit of the UAE leadership providing further momentum, we look set to enter a golden era of partnership.

(China Daily 12/16/2015 page6)