UAE DMCC, an international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, has announced growth of over 16% in Chinese businesses joining its district in the past 12 months, bringing its total to over 1,000 Chinese companies, including 130 Chinese technology companies in the fields of AI, Blockchain, Web3, and digital infrastructure.

The announcement was made during DMCC’s latest Made For Trade Live (MFTL) roadshow to China that featured events in the Yangtze River Delta cities of Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou – three of the country’s most dynamic centres for technology and advanced manufacturing.

DMCC has become a regional launchpad for China’s innovation-focused companies, recording double-digit annual growth in Chinese companies for five consecutive years, including 19% in 2022, 21% in 2023 and 17% in 2024, driven largely by firms in AI, blockchain, Web3 and digital infrastructure. DMCC now hosts more than 130 Chinese technology companies, within a wider community of over 3,400 tech firms.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said that China is now the UAE’s largest trading partner exceeding $120 billion in 2024 and this is projected to double by 2030. He noted that the growth is in AI and other frontier technologies.

Over 750 Chinese business leaders across all three cities were briefed on key sectors including artificial intelligence, blockchain and tokenised assets – areas of growing strategic alignment between both countries.

DMCC accounts for 15% of Dubai’s annual FDI inflows and contributing around 7% of the emirate’s GDP, the district has become a key vehicle for translating this bilateral momentum into commercial opportunity.

In terms of overall Blockchain and crypto entities overall DMCC had 600 registered blockchain and crypto companies in 2024, up from 500 in 2023.