Today's Edition
KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)
The growing ties between China and the Middle East came into sharp focus at the Investopia 2025 conference on Thursday, as the China-Arab Entrepreneur summit kicked off, bringing together Chinese and Arab innovators in the fields of robotics, investment and technology.
"Today, we gather in Abu Dhabi, a city brimming with vitality and innovation, to further deepen economic cooperation between China and the Arab world and explore new opportunities for development," Tony Dong, Chief Representative of the Sino International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF) told the audience at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island.
"We are committed to building a global platform for entrepreneurs to focus this cooperation and cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world."
The summit was a key feature of the broader Investopia summit this week, and included a number of major deal signings that will further enhance cooperation with Chinese firms.
This included a memorandum of understanding between Abu Dhabi-based AI company SaaI.ai and SIEF from China to better harness Chinese AI technology.
"Our strategic alliance with China goes far beyond trade and statistics and investments," Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE's Minister of Economy told the summit.
"It's about forging a robust ecosystem and in the last decade, the UAE has positioned itself as an essential gateway for Chinese investment in the region, leveraging the world-class infrastructure, forward thinking and regulatory framework to attract global capital."
Ray Dalio, renowned American investor and author, also made an appearance at the summit and spoke about the changing global order.
He said the world was moving towards a multi-polar model and this would require building strong relationships that were not purely transactional.
"The building of trust through doing things together… I think it's a very important now, because the world order is changing in a way where there's not a dominant power," Dalio told the summit.
"A place like Abu Dhabi is a place that welcomes people from all over the world, with wonderful people, is on the right path."
Dalio was joined on stage by Wei Ran, Chairman and CEO of CCT Fund, who said that he believed the UAE had become the best place for investment in the region from a Chinese viewpoint.
He said that China would continue to play a role in the region as they search for more partners and avenues for collaboration.
