Hala China to host first China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo

Hala China is set to organise the first China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo from 15 July to 21 July 2020, in partnership with the China International Exhibition Centre Group Corporation (CIEC). The exhibition is set to explore further economic growth opportunities between both countries during a time of industrial transformation amidst the new normal.

With the support of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, the expo will include nine sessions that highlight emerging opportunities in Smart Metropolitan and Big Data, Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicles, Modern Agriculture, Free zone/Finance and Investment, New Building Materials, Textile and Fashion, Education, Healthcare Supply (medical items), and Travel and Tourism, through a series of virtual exhibitions and discussions with keynote speakers.

The UAE and China are at the start of a 100-year roadmap to prosperity together, as outlined by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on a trip to Beijing last year. Bilateral ties between the two countries continue to deepen, thanks to platforms such as Hala China that aim to encourage further cultural exchanges and strengthen socioeconomic ties to foster opportunities.

To boost sustainable economic growth, China’s government has also accelerated the New Infrastructure project in seven high-tech fields, including 5G networks, high speed rail, Ultra High Voltage (UHV) transmission lines, new energy vehicles charging piles, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and the Industrial Internet of Things, with an investment of AED13 trillion. Policy incentives, special bonds, public-private partnerships and credit support complement the initiative, as reported by South China Morning Post in a recent story. This represents a major opportunity for leading modern infrastructure hubs such as the UAE to offer industry-leading knowledge and skillsets to drive China’s new age urban infrastructure.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, China’s State Council issued an approval for the establishment of 46 integrated Pilot Zones for cross-border e-commerce in an attempt to revive foreign trade and investment.

Between January and September 2019, China’s overall direct investment in the UAE reached AED2.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 171 per cent, which also accounted for 54 per cent of China’s investment in all 22 members of the Arab League, according to data from the Chinese Embassy in the UAE.

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hala China, said: “China and the UAE are already at the forefront of innovation in the modern world. Organising an exhibition of this scale is testament to the resilient spirit, unity and ingenuity of both nations. As the world works to recover and transition to a new way of life, our bilateral relations with China offer us new and strategic opportunities for mutual growth and cooperation in a post-pandemic world.”

His Excellency Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the UAE’s Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs, said: “The relations between the UAE and China are at an all-time high. The joint efforts undertaken by the two friendly countries continue to flourish despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic on world economies. As industries around the world adjust to the new normal, the first China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo will explore economic growth opportunities across an array of vital industries, adding significant value to the efforts to accelerate economic recovery. Furthermore, the virtual Expo will help intensify cultural exchanges, strategic partnerships, and socioeconomic ties that bind the UAE and China.”

As part of the virtual Expo, the UAE-China Trade fair’s Smart Metropolitan exhibition will showcase cutting-edge technology companies and their achievements in applying technology in real world settings as they advance the UAE’s high-tech industry organically. In line with the economic strategies and long-standing bilateral ties between the UAE and China, the exhibition will also livestream a series of lectures and video networking sessions on setting up business in the UAE through the country’s multiple free zones.    

In line with the wider objectives of the UAE Vision 2021, the country is well on track to becoming a global leader in the fields of innovation, research, science and technology, which form the key pillars of a competitive knowledge-based economy. Through its early adoption of e-government and smart city technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics, the UAE offers an enhanced quality of life to the global citizens that consider it their home away from home. The seminal UAE-China Economic and Trade Digital Expo will offer insights into these technical competencies while underscoring the transformative impacts of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the way we live and work. The UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution spotlights several niche fields, such as innovative education, artificial intelligence, intelligent genomic medicine and robotic healthcare.