Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director of Dubai Customs, met with Tang Weibing, Chinese consul general in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, and explored bilateral trade ties and discussed mechanisms for further coordination in customs operations in the interest of more growth and prosperity in trade.

An emphasis was placed during the meeting on the importance of developing trade relations with China, the second trading partner of Dubai, with a total trade value amounting to AED135 billion in 2013, an 18 percent growth rate compared to the figures seen in 2012, which totaled AED115 billion. China is also the top trading partner of Dubai in respect to imports, totally valued at AED130 billion.

Musabih said: “Dubai takes on a vibrant role to keep the Chinese commodities flowing to the world. We hold regular meetings with Chinese officials who are willing to expand the markets for their products by benefiting from Dubai’s position in global trade.”

Musabih noted that Dubai Customs’ endeavor to boost trade with China calls for closer economic ties and supports the flow of Chinese investments to Dubai, coupled with the growing number of Chinese companies that make Dubai their regional office for managing their business at locations in Europe and Africa.

China has 4,200 companies, 356 trading agencies and 2,500 Chinese registered trademarks in the UAE.

The number of Chinese expatriates residing in the UAE exceeds 200,000 people. Tourism has also seen a big surge recently, with 276,000 Chinese tourists flocking to Dubai in 2013.