36Kr Global · Recruitment | Dubai Business Forum to Visit Shenzhen in October, Latest Gulf Market Layout of Chinese Technology Enterprises
Over the past few years, the global expansion of Chinese enterprises has entered a new stage of development. Starting from product exports, to establishing regional headquarters, improving local operation systems, and then taking one market as a fulcrum to radiate a broader international market, more and more enterprises are beginning to explore new paths for global layout. Among numerous overseas destinations, Dubai is becoming a shared choice for a growing number of Chinese enterprises. Statistics show that from 2021 to 2025, the number of Chinese enterprises registered as active members at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce increased from 2,258 to 6,465, representing a growth rate of 186%; in the first five months of 2026 alone, more than 460 new Chinese enterprises have been registered as members.
Against the backdrop of the accelerating global layout of Chinese enterprises, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce has announced that the 2026 "Dubai Business Forum – China" will be held in Shenzhen on October 14. As its key international business exchange platform, this marks the second time the forum has come to China. The first China stop held in Beijing in 2024 attracted more than 800 well-known entrepreneurs, investors and government representatives from China and Dubai, serving as a vital window for economic and trade exchanges between the two sides. The forum's return to China this year with Shenzhen as the host city sends a clear signal that Dubai is continuously deepening its connections with Chinese innovative enterprises, and hopes to explore new opportunities for global development together with more Chinese enterprises.
For Chinese enterprises that are looking for new growth points for internationalization, this forum is an important window to understand market opportunities in Dubai and connect with global resources.
Why does the Dubai Business Forum come to China again? In recent years, more and more Chinese enterprises have set up operations in Dubai, deeply integrating into the local business ecosystem. From flying cars to drone delivery, from cross-border payment to digital life platforms, the shared choice of these enterprises reflects Dubai's unique value as a global business hub: mature market demand, global hub advantages, open regulatory environment, and continuously improved digital infrastructure.
Mature Business Scenarios and Market for Commercial Validation
Emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, future mobility, and smart cities are among the core topics of this forum. Chinese enterprises have become the main innovative force reshaping the future industrial landscape, and Dubai's support and validation capabilities for new operation models just provide high-value market springboards for Chinese enterprises.
XPeng Aeroht (ARIDGE, formerly XPeng Huitian), the largest flying car enterprise in Asia, regards Dubai as the strategic starting point for its global Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) business. In October 2025, XPeng Aeroht completed the first public manned flight of its "Land Carrier" flying car outside China in Dubai, and signed a 600-unit order agreement with Middle East partners – which is its largest overseas order to date. From XPeng Aeroht's perspective, the Middle East market has strong demand for high-end business travel, urban commuting and luxury tourism, and Dubai's open business environment and abundant high-end application scenarios provide an ideal test field for flying cars from product testing to commercial operation.
The "Land Carrier" of XPeng Aeroht flying over Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
PingPong is the first Chinese third-party payment institution to obtain a payment license in the United Arab Emirates, and its layout in the Middle East stems from another driving force: the huge payment demand behind regional trade flows. PingPong believes that as the scale of Chinese manufacturers and global sellers on this trade channel continues to expand, its payment infrastructure must also expand synchronously.
A Gateway, Not a Destination
As a regional headquarters hub, Dubai's value lies in its strong radiation capability – one node can serve multiple trade corridors at the same time. For enterprises that hope to take Dubai as a springboard to expand into the Middle East, Africa and South Asia markets, this forum will also provide them with new ideas for global layout.
Dubai Creek
Lu Shuai, co-founder of PingPong, gave an example: a Shenzhen seller supplies goods to retailers in Nairobi, Karachi and Cairo at the same time, and only one entity based in the United Arab Emirates is needed to manage all business relationships – a payment relationship anchored in Dubai can open up multiple trade channels at the same time.
The 600-unit order signed by XPeng Aeroht with Middle East partners covers the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, which also demonstrates this hub effect – radiating the entire high-end Gulf market from a single fulcrum. "Nearly one third of the global population is within a 3 to 6 hour flight radius of Dubai, which provides an ideal strategic base for eVTOL and advanced air mobility enterprises, enabling them to expand efficiently and enter surrounding regional markets."
Government Support and Regulatory Flexibility
In Dubai, the government's role is not only a regulator in the traditional sense, but also an active participant in the ecosystem.
In December 2024, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) granted Meituan's drone delivery business Keeta Drone the first Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) commercial operation license in the UAE, allowing Keeta Drone to officially launch operations. The clarity of regulation and institutional endorsement have laid the foundation for its establishment in Dubai. As Yang Junwei, General Manager of Keeta Drone, said: "The key difference of Dubai lies in its efficient and decisive decision-making, as well as its open willingness to build together with operators and partners. The close connection between the public and private sectors has formed a highly supportive ecosystem."
Keeta drones operating in Dubai
During XPeng Aeroht's early market exploration process, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce provided comprehensive operational support – guiding the company to understand local regulations and business environments, coordinating connections with key ecological partners, and streamlining communication channels with relevant government departments. It is these supports that facilitated the successful demonstration of XPeng Aeroht's "Traveler X2" aircraft with the approval of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, which became a key step in XPeng Aeroht's internationalization process.
The practical experience of these enterprises is exactly the focus of discussion at this forum. The forum will invite many heavyweight guests from Dubai government departments, as well as representatives of industrial institutions, investment institutions and enterprises to jointly share Dubai's economic strategies and policies, key industry trends and future cooperation directions.
Dubai Business Forum Translates Shared Vision into Growth Results
As Chinese enterprises' global layout enters a new stage, the core concern of enterprises has shifted from "whether to go global" to "where should the next stop be", "how to quickly enter the local market" and "how to find suitable partners".
Focusing on these top concerns of Chinese enterprises, this forum will build a platform connecting the government, enterprises, capital and industrial resources. As a strategic international business exchange platform, the forum always takes in-depth dialogues and practical cooperation as the core, helping Chinese enterprises connect with the dynamic Dubai business ecosystem and turn shared vision into tangible growth. The 2024 Dubai Business Forum held 18 high-level seminars in Beijing, demonstrating the huge business opportunities of Dubai in the field of global trade and investment, and witnessing the fruitful results of cooperation between China and Dubai.
The 2024 "Dubai Business Forum · China" was held in Beijing
Following the successful hosting of the 2024 Beijing Forum, this year's forum is located in Shenzhen – the core city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and a global highland of scientific and technological innovation. With the theme of "Gathering Momentum for Far-sighted Development, Co-creating New Win-win Prospects", the forum will focus on discussions in key fields such as digital economy, emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing and logistics, bringing together high-level leaders from the public and private sectors of Dubai and China, multinational corporations, high-growth technology enterprises, investors and venture capital institutions. Through thematic seminars, industry roundtables, targeted matchmaking and other forms, the forum will build a cross-regional cooperation platform for enterprises, and turn strategic opportunities into practical results.
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce stated that Chinese enterprises have strong competitive advantages in technology, scale, supply chain integration, manufacturing capacity and go-to-market speed, and these advantages make them important partners for Dubai's innovation and business ecosystem. The ambition of Dubai's Economic Agenda (D33) will be realized with the support of China's technological and industrial strength; at the same time, Chinese enterprises need Dubai's policy certainty and global radiation power to start the next round of growth cycle. The essence of this "two-way choice" is the high degree of alignment of the advantages of both sides.
In 2025, Alibaba, Huawei, Meituan, BYD and other enterprises successively expanded their business footprint in Dubai, covering cloud computing, digital life, consumer electronics, new energy vehicles and autonomous driving – Chinese enterprises are finding new opportunities for global development in Dubai.
For more enterprises that hope to lay out the international market, the Dubai Business Forum · China to be held this October is not only a business exchange event, but also an important opportunity for them to deeply understand Dubai's business ecosystem, grasp Middle East market opportunities, and connect with global partners.
If you are interested in participating in the 2026 Dubai Business Forum · China, please scan the QR code below orclick "Here" to submit your registration application.
Apply for attendance now
Registration information will be uniformly reviewed by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, and you will be further notified of the specific attendance arrangements after the review is approved. Chinese enterprises participating in the matchmaking meeting will be selected from the approved enterprises and notified separately.
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