His Excellency Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, the Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chair of Investopia, held three bilateral meetings with His Excellency Song Yaili, China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism; His Excellency Ren Hongbin, Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT); and His Excellency Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), with the aim of enhancing economic and investment relations between the United Arab Emirates and the People’s Republic of China.
The discussions centered on accelerating cooperation in priority sectors, particularly in new economy areas, tourism and travel, hospitality and aviation, air transport, creative industries, and intellectual property.
His Excellency Abdullah Bin Touq emphasized that the UAE and China share a rich and distinguished historical relationship founded on strategic partnership and constructive collaboration, noting that economic and investment ties have seen significant growth over the past four decades across various vital sectors, including the new economy, infrastructure, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, technology, and agriculture.
He stated that the tourism sector plays a crucial role in enhancing economic cooperation between the two nations, with the UAE hosting over 350,000 Chinese citizens and welcoming more than one million Chinese tourists in 2024, underscoring its status as a preferred destination for Chinese travelers. Additionally, the cities of both countries are connected by more than 147 weekly flights, comprising 117 passenger flights between the two nations and 30 cargo flights via Emirati airlines, reflecting the vibrant connectivity between their peoples and supporting the goals of the national tourism strategy to position the UAE as a leading global tourism identity by the next decade.
In detail, His Excellency Abdullah Bin Touq discussed with the Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism the enhancement of collaboration opportunities in various tourism sectors between the two countries in the coming period, promoting joint efforts to highlight the attractions and destinations within both nations, thereby fostering growth in mutual tourism exchanges.
He updated the Chinese side on the UAE’s vision for developing tourism, travel, hospitality, and aviation sectors, focusing on innovation and sustainability in providing services to visitors from around the world, and expanding tourism partnerships with key markets both regionally and globally. He also highlighted the country’s efforts to develop tourism infrastructure, ports, and airports according to global best practices, reinforcing the UAE’s status as a leading tourism destination on both regional and international levels.
Moreover, His Excellency Abdullah Bin Touq met with the Commissioner of the CNIPA to exchange expertise and knowledge in the fields of intellectual property rights, patents, and industrial property. This aim is to broaden cooperation between the two countries in the creative and cultural industries to enhance institutional capabilities for protecting intellectual works.
He also held a bilateral meeting with the Chairman of CCPIT to discuss new mechanisms for enhancing economic cooperation and supporting communication channels between the UAE and Chinese business communities, encouraging them to expand investments in new and sustainable economic sectors. Notably, the number of Chinese business licenses operating in UAE markets reached approximately 16,500 by the end of July 2025, reflecting an increase of over 18% compared to the end of July 2024.