In a significant move to strengthen ties between the UAE and China, the recent AIM Talks in Guangzhou highlighted burgeoning opportunities in technology and investment sectors. The series of meetings showcased the commitment of both nations to foster sustainable economic partnerships and advance collaborative projects that underscore shared growth objectives.
Guangzhou: During the AIM Talks, Fahad Al Qargawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, led a high-level Emirati delegation in a series of pivotal meetings in Guangzhou, clearly reflecting the growing momentum in UAE-China cooperation across industrial, technological, and economic sectors linked to future growth drivers. These meetings solidified the event’s position as a practical platform for institutional dialogue, sectoral cooperation, and sustainable economic partnerships between the two countries.
These meetings fall within the broader vision of AIM Talks as a key platform that aligns institutions with genuine economic opportunities, transforming high-level dialogue into practical cooperation pathways between governments and the private sector. From this perspective, the Guangzhou meetings embodied the executive dimension of the platform and reinforced its role as an effective tool for promoting cross-border collaboration between the UAE and China.
The Emirati delegation included Mariam Al Shamsi, the UAE Consul General in Guangzhou, along with several senior officials, including Dawood Al Shezawi, President of the AIM Global Foundation, and Raja Al Mazrouei, CEO of Etihad Credit Insurance, as well as officials from the Tianhe District government. The first stop was a high-level bilateral meeting held by the delegation with Sun Qiyang, the Mayor of Guangzhou, attended by several senior officials from the city government to discuss aligning urban development priorities with broader trade and investment cooperation pathways with the UAE.
Al Qargawi emphasized the strategic position of the UAE as a regional hub that connects markets and provides an advanced competitive environment that supports expansion into the region. He pointed to a range of promising areas for enhancing cooperation, including artificial intelligence, finance, energy, construction, tourism, and food security, reflecting the breadth of cooperation between the two countries and the multitude of opportunities that open the door for further progress in the coming phase.
The second stop involved an official visit to PCI Technology, organized by the UAE Consulate General in Guangzhou, focusing on one of China’s leading companies in artificial intelligence, which possesses advanced capabilities in developing smart cities, intelligent rail transport, and integrated urban mobility solutions. Al Qargawi highlighted the UAE’s strategic position as a gateway enabling Chinese companies to access markets in the Middle East and North Africa, based on an open economic model, advanced infrastructure, and an investment environment that supports trade, logistics, and technological expansion.
He also urged Chinese companies, particularly PCI Technology, to capitalize on the quality opportunities offered by the UAE in the smart cities and intelligent transport sectors. Al Mazrouei clarified that the UAE continues to integrate new-generation technologies within the transport system, including artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced railway monitoring systems, as part of an initiative aimed at enhancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability in the regional transport infrastructure.