Jointly Safeguarding a Free and Open International Trade System "(Witnessing China's Opportunities) - Interview with Sani Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade and Chairman of the UAE International Investment Summit

The CIIE is an important platform for China to continue expanding its high-level opening-up to the outside world and sharing market opportunities with the world, "said Sani Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade and Chairman of the UAE International Investment Summit, in a recent interview with our reporter. The UAE is willing to work with China to deepen pragmatic cooperation, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and achieve common development.

As one of the guest countries of honor at this year's CIIE, the UAE Pavilion showcases its development direction of promoting knowledge driven and environmentally friendly economic growth under the theme of "Innovation, Sustainability, and Partnership", conveying its willingness to deepen cooperation with all parties. Zeyoudi introduced that this year's UAE participating companies cover infrastructure, renewable energy, life sciences and other fields, and will focus on releasing innovative achievements such as smart energy solutions, AI driven financial services, and sustainable building technologies. Through the CIIE platform, we hope to showcase to Chinese and global audiences the dynamic business environment and technological expertise of the UAE, as well as the global competitiveness of UAE enterprises in knowledge intensive fields

In recent years, with the CIIE as a window, more and more renewable energy technologies, advanced building materials, fintech solutions, high-quality consumer goods, and medical and health products from the UAE have entered the Chinese market. Zeyoudi said, "The Chinese market contains enormous investment and consumption potential, which helps UAE companies continuously improve product quality and innovation capabilities, and enhance their international competitiveness

During this year's CIIE, the first UAE International Investment Summit China Summit will also be held simultaneously in Shanghai. The decision to establish the first international sub venue of the UAE International Investment Summit in Shanghai fully reflects the firm determination of the UAE and China to deepen strategic cooperation. Zeyudi said that Shanghai is an important global financial and trade hub with advanced infrastructure and an active investment ecology. The summit will effectively build a solid bridge for investment docking, help all parties explore collaborative development paths, and establish long-term stable partnerships

In recent years, the economic and trade exchanges between China and Arab countries have become increasingly close. China is the largest trading partner of the United Arab Emirates, while the UAE is China's second largest trading partner and largest export market in West Asia and North Africa. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Arab countries exceeded 100 billion US dollars for the first time, with a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. Zeyudi believes that this growth stems from the shared vision of both sides in open trade, technological innovation, and other areas. In the future, both sides can further deepen cooperation in areas such as digital transformation, renewable energy, and smart infrastructure, and continuously consolidate the foundation of bilateral economic and trade cooperation

As China Arab cooperation continues to deepen and solidify, more and more Chinese companies are using Dubai as a regional operational base. According to the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, in the first half of 2025, a total of 772 Chinese companies were registered in Dubai, a year-on-year increase of 3.8%. Zeyoudi stated that Chinese companies have brought advanced technologies and management experience in fields such as artificial intelligence, financial technology, modern logistics, and life sciences to the UAE, effectively promoting knowledge transfer and enhancing local technological capabilities; At the same time, UAE companies are actively integrating into China's vast consumer market, connecting with China's advanced industrial system and innovation network, and continuously enhancing their global competitiveness. This two-way interaction has given rise to diverse cooperation models such as joint ventures, joint research and development, and talent co education. This model can also be promoted regionally and globally to achieve more win-win outcomes

Currently, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and multilateralism and free trade are facing challenges. Afghanistan and China have the responsibility to advocate multilateralism and jointly maintain a free and open international trading system, "said Zeyudi. Afghanistan and China should work together to build a more resilient global supply chain, continuously improve trade facilitation, actively promote green and sustainable investment practices, and inject momentum into the sustainable development of the world economy.

Source: People's Daily Author: Cui Qi