China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone

China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone is the only cooperation project between the two countries involved in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Located at Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port, the demonstration zone is 60 kilometers from Abu Dhabi and 80 km from Dubai. These two metropolitan centers can be reached by highway in an hour.

Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Cooperation and Investment Company Limited, initiated by China Jiangsu International Economic and Technical Cooperation Group Ltd, is the main executor of the construction of the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Demonstration Zone.

It was also joined by four national development zones: Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangning Development Zone in Nanjing, Haimen Economic-Technological Development Zone in Huaian and Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone.

In July 2017, the cooperation and investment agreements were signed between China and the United Arab Emirates, attracting 15 companies to sign framework agreements with total investment surpassing 6 billion yuan ($884.12 million).

Infrastructure construction on 2.2 square km has started and is expected to be finished in the first half of 2019. Construction work on the first batch of factories started in 2018 and they are expected to be put into operation before Expo Dubai 2020.

According the overall plan, the demonstration zone will give full play to local resources and market elements to boost the development of advantage industries such as high-end equipment, fine chemical engineering, metal processing, photovoltaic manufacturing, commercial logistics and financial services.