Dubai – One of the events at the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai, the UAE focused on China’s market and investments. “One Belt and One Road” Business Cooperation and Development Forum saw public and private delegates from China descend on the emirate to discuss the Belt-and-Road Initiative, also known as the New Silk Road – a plan to develop a trade and investment route linking the Asian nation to other localities across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
According to Sharjah Investment Development Authority (Shurooq) CEO Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, there aren’t as many Chinese investors in the UAE as he’d wish. “There are investment opportunities in the UAE in fields including healthcare, clean energies and desalination. Sharjah, like the UAE itself, is a strategic hub. There’s a huge opportunity to connect with the Arab world and North Africa,” said Sarkal during the panel UAE – An Important Hub in the One Belt and One Road: The Perception and Expectation of Chinese Companies this Tuesday (9).
Sarkal also brought up the tourism industry, especially the landmark sites in Sharjah and business destinations in Dubai. “To invest in the UAE means to invest in the source. Besides, there are opportunities in connection with the new FDI regulations, which are very inviting in the UAE,” he said.
Speakers in the panel included older-generation executives from China, who do business in more tradition-oriented fashion, and younger ones who master English in order to do business globally.
The Chinese panelists expressed an interest in investing in the UAE and underscored the FDI-friendly character of China’s initiative. Requirements in order for China-UAE investment and deals to thrive include mutual studies of the destination site and its culture.
“Understanding the culture of the country you intend to invest in, cherishing it, truly understanding how people live in that place, makes all the difference,” concluded panelist Franz Zhiyun Jiang, a partner at Cathay Capital Management Group. The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) will continue until Wednesday (10).
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
