SCCI explores potential avenues of cooperation with China

The discussions delved into prospects for enhancing collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses across diverse sectors in both Sharjah and China. The meeting also focused on bolstering the exchange of information between private sector representatives, ramping up efforts to continue hosting joint trade exhibitions. 

Both sides also explored new investment opportunities, delineating targeted domains of cooperation, such as infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics, tourism, and construction sectors. 

The meeting took place at the SCCI’s headquarters, where HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber, received Ms. Chao Lian, the principal representative of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in the Gulf region, along with the accompanying delegation.

Present at the gathering were Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Business Sector at SCCI; Fatima Khalifa Al Mokarrab, Director of SCCI’s International Relations Department, and Heba Al Marzouqi, Executive Director of Business Councils and Joint Committees at SCCI.

During the meeting, Ms. Chao Lian was introduced as the new principal representative of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in the Gulf region. 

HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais also received an official invitation from CCPIT to participate, as representative of the Sharjah Chamber, in the second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), which is scheduled to be held in November 2024, featuring over 160 companies from inside and outside China.

Furthermore, the discussions veered towards exploring potential avenues of cooperation between the business communities of Sharjah and China, with an emphasis on fostering partnerships and coordination among investors to create new business opportunities.

Showcasing its services to the Chinese counterpart, the Sharjah Chamber underscored the significance of developing and enhancing cooperation in private sector development across the two countries. 

The two sides also emphasised efforts to host Chinese events and exhibitions at the UAE’s Expo Centre Sharjah (ECS). The Sharjah Chamber, in turn, invited the Chinese private sector to take part in these events, especially since ECS features various specialised Chinese exhibitions and offers attractive incentives to participants.

Extending a warm welcome to the visiting Chinese delegation, HE Abdullah Sultan Al Owais underscored the robust historical and strategic ties between the UAE and China, which can be encapsulated into the steadily growing economic cooperation and trade exchanges between the two nations. 

Al Owais further noted that Sharjah has turned into an important exemplar of the growing investment cooperation between the UAE and China, with the emirate hosting over 700 Chinese companies, including 472 operating in Sharjah and 245 in free zones.

These businesses and enterprises actively contribute to Sharjah's economic development, leveraging the emirate's conducive investment environment, facilitative policies, and diverse opportunities available for investors.

For their part, the Chinese delegation lauded the vital role played by the Sharjah Chamber in enhancing trade and economic ties between the two countries at the private sector level. 

The delegation affirmed the CCPIT’s determination to explore Sharjah’s key business and trade sectors and exchange further insights regarding investment prospects. This includes arranging visits for Chinese entrepreneurs to the emirate, deliberating the potential for new Chinese enterprises to join those already operating in Sharjah and its free zones, across diverse industrial, commercial, and service sectors.