DAFZA receives high-profile delegation from China to transfer expertise in free zone management

UAE– July 11, 2016- The Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA) recently received a high-profile Chinese delegation headed by Zhang Qingwei, Governor of Hebei Province, to explore new investment prospects to deepen economic cooperation between the UAE and China. The meeting focused on DAFZA’s leading experience in transforming into one of the world’s most advanced free zones, amid wide commendation on the Authority’s pivotal role in enabling the access of Chinese entities to the promising markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and South Asia.

Meeting with the visiting delegation in the presence of H.E. Li Lingbing, Consul-General of the People's Republic of China in Dubai, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Director General of DAFZA, underlined the competitive features which make the Freezone the perfect environment for Chinese companies looking to leverage the many available growth opportunities in Dubai in line with the ongoing preparations for Expo Dubai 2020.

H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni reaffirmed DAFZA’s commitment to adopting an approach that is based on innovation and excellence in service delivery, smart transformation and benchmarking in order to provide an integrated smart environment which lives up to the expectations of the international business community. He further pointed out that the Freezone takes on the responsibility to offer the necessary enablers to reinforce economic relations with China.

“We look forward to transferring our logistics and administrative expertise in free zone management to our peers in China. DAFZA provided for over 20 years, exceptional practices and integrated services to the business community, making it an attractive and pioneering model for businesses. We are working to establish robust strategic partnerships with leading international and multinational companies from various sectors, in a step forward which will significantly help increase trade exchange between the two countries and promote the UAE’s position as the largest Middle East partner to China,” Dr. Al Zarooni added.

For her part, H.E. Li Lingbing explained that DAFZA enjoys a leading experience which makes it one of the key players in Dubai’s economic development, pointing out that the visit offered an ideal platform to explore the Freezone’s best practices, highest international standards and latest smart solutions, serving as a significant addition to the ongoing efforts aimed at the successful upcoming implementation of the Freezone project in China. Lingbing further praised DAFZA’s efforts in strengthening the channels of communication with the international business community and offering the necessary means for Chinese investors to build a robust presence in the emerging regional markets. She also underlined the Authority’s competitive features – from its strategic location, integrated infrastructure and encouraging investment incentives to its modern facilities, smart solutions and high-level logistics and administrative services.

DAFZA has signed number of agreements and MoUs with Chinese consultants and government bodies to further support the cooperation between UAE and China as well as the bilateral trade relations between the two countries. This is in addition to DAFZA’s ongoing focus on building strong international relations with top global markets and helping promote Dubai’s competitiveness on the international economic landscape. The Freezone continues its efforts to successfully implement its ambitious marketing plan which aims at reaching the top markets in Europe, the US and Asia, as well as attract leading international and multinational companies to work within one of the best free zones in the Middle East and worldwide.