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Abu Dhabi, UAE, 7 November 2025: The Abu Dhabi School of Management (ADSM), an affiliate of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has hosted a high-level forum that brought together some of the nation's leading business figures with a Chinese delegation overseeing assets worth more than US$4.2 trillion (CNY 30 trillion). The event is indicative of the strengthening economic and knowledge partnerships between Abu Dhabi and Beijing.
The delegation was led by Dr Yang Bing, Vice President of Tsinghua University, one of the world's top universities, and included a group of DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) candidates who are senior executives and founders of prominent national companies across advanced manufacturing, energy, semiconductors, healthcare, real estate, finance, culture, and media. The scale of assets managed by the delegation reflects the significant economic influence of these institutions and their key role in both Chinese and global development.
These delegates represent a distinguished group of Chinese economic leaders at the forefront of growth, underscoring the importance of this visit in building bridges for economic and knowledge cooperation between China and Abu Dhabi, and reinforcing the UAE capital's status as a global hub for economic dialogue and academic exchange in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The forum forms part of the School's efforts to foster academic and economic dialogue between Abu Dhabi and leading international centres of thought and innovation. It also provided an opportunity to showcase the capital's dynamic investment environment to the visiting delegation, which included 45 chairpersons representing a diverse range of strategic sectors within the Chinese economy.
His Excellency Khalid Al Fahim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Family Business Council and Board Member of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, welcomed the Chinese delegation during the opening of the forum. He highlighted the importance of sharing international knowledge and expertise, and praised the resilience of the UAE economy and its openness to global partnerships, which have helped to cement the country's reputation as a leading centre for business and investment.
In his welcome address, Dr Mark Poulin, Acting President of ADSM, spoke about innovation, cross-cultural collaboration, and shared prosperity as fundamental pillars of the UAE's success. He reaffirmed the School's commitment to supporting international academic and economic cooperation, stating that ADSM strives to enable its students to gain insights into global business cultures and to benefit from international experiences, in line with its mission of applied education.
The programme featured a series of speeches and specialist presentations covering key topics related to Abu Dhabi's economy, investment landscape, and entrepreneurial ecosystem, with contributions from experts and officials across both public and private sectors.
Joseph Chamoun, Head of Investor Relations at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), delivered a presentation on the “Falcon Economy”, highlighting the role of ADIO in empowering investors and supporting the emirate's economic transformation.
Dr Monica Malik, Chief Economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, spoke about the outlook for international investment in the UAE, emphasising the strength of the nation's economic fundamentals. Hajar Al Ansari from Hub71 reviewed Abu Dhabi's innovation and start-up ecosystem and the support available for entrepreneurs, while Magnus Olsson, Co-founder of Careem and Board Member of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, shared his experience of building a technology company in the Middle East, charting Careem's journey from a local idea to a leading regional enterprise, and his decision to make Abu Dhabi his family's home.
Following the main sessions, an extensive panel discussion took place under the theme “Strengthening Abu Dhabi–China Relations: The Strategic Framework for International Business in Abu Dhabi”, featuring Dr Jean Fares, CEO of Investopia; Rebecca Ding, Head of Innovation at Lloyds Banking Group; Dr Ahmed Al Barkani, Head of Creative Thinking at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED); and Dr Khuloud Al Marzouqi, Emirati Culture Expert. The session was moderated by Dr Constance Van Horne, Director of International Affairs and Executive Development at ADSM. Participants explored ways to expand commercial and investment cooperation between the UAE and China, noting the growing momentum in economic relations between the two countries.
Dr Fares referenced the economic dialogues organised by Investopia in Beijing and Hong Kong last October, stressing their significance in consolidating the UAE's status as a global economic partner for China.
The forum attracted significant participation from the School's partners in both government and the private sector, including representatives from Abu Dhabi Global Market and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, who engaged with DBA candidates, company leaders, and participating entrepreneurs. Dr Van Horne highlighted the crucial role academic institutions play in building bridges between business communities across borders, affirming that academic forums offer genuine opportunities for knowledge exchange and the creation of new partnerships based on mutual understanding.
The event concluded with remarks from Dr Poulin, who emphasised that the forum exemplifies ADSM's role in preparing business leaders with a global perspective and the ability to innovate in a rapidly changing economic environment. He affirmed that the School's mission is to graduate leaders equipped to succeed in an interconnected world and to contribute to developing a new generation of entrepreneurs capable of enhancing the UAE's competitiveness in the global economy.
Tsinghua University currently ranks first in China and twentieth globally according to the QS 2025 rankings. As one of Asia's most prestigious academic institutions, it has, for over a century, produced many of China's presidents and top political and economic leaders. This visit therefore represents a strategic milestone in exchanging expertise and strengthening cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Beijing in innovation, entrepreneurship, and executive education.
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