Editor’s Note
The UAE’s tax-free environment for personal income, dividends, and benefits is a powerful tool for attracting global talent, as highlighted by DMCC’s business representative. This policy underscores the strategic advantages for businesses and professionals considering expansion or relocation.
Lin Yanyan, a business representative from the China Representative Office of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), highlighted this point, which many attending companies diligently noted down.
On August 13, at the “National Month’ Goes to the Middle East: Enterprise Overseas Trade Matchmaking Conference” held by the Chengdu Municipal Private Economic Development Promotion Center, such “key insights” were plentiful, attracting dozens of companies to attend and listen.
As an important economic hub in the Middle East, the UAE is a highly watched investment region with multiple free zones, each focusing on specific industry sectors. Among them, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) is a global commodity trading center, housing major trading centers for gold, diamonds, tea, coffee, and more.
At the matchmaking conference, Lin Yanyan presented a concentric circle map centered on Dubai, UAE. The first circle represents areas reachable within a 4-hour flight from Dubai, covering approximately 2.5 billion people globally. The second circle represents areas reachable within an 8-hour flight, covering about 5 billion people.
Lin Yanyan also emphasized the UAE’s business environment. She noted that the UAE is a country with a very lenient tax environment. Not only is there no personal income tax, but corporate income tax was also not levied before June 2023.
Lin Yanyan also specifically mentioned the UAE’s gaming market.
Zhou Zhiyong, General Manager of Yinbin Zhantian International Business Services, focused on sharing opportunities in the manufacturing sector in the Middle East. He cited examples, mentioning that the UAE is accelerating the development of manufacturing and high-value-added industries, proposing the national industry “300 Billion Dirham Action” plan. The goal is to increase the industrial GDP contribution from the current 133 billion dirhams (1 UAE dirham ≈ 1.954 Chinese yuan) to 300 billion dirhams by 2031.
Manufacturing enterprises are highly sensitive to energy resource costs.
Zhou Zhiyong carefully reminded attendees.
Participating company Chengdu Huayitong Communication Technology Co., Ltd. is actively planning its overseas expansion, and the UAE is one of the target regions for its layout.
Said company Project General Manager Xi Longtao. He mentioned that the day’s matchmaking conference was very fruitful. Not only did they learn the important information that the UAE is vigorously developing its manufacturing industry, but they also gained a more detailed understanding of the UAE’s business environment. Regarding the steps for going global, the company has already given it some thought. They might start with trading, and consider setting up local production links after conditions mature.
Introduced Yang Yuyu, Director of the Enterprise Service Department at the Chengdu Municipal Private Economic Development Promotion Center. The day’s matchmaking conference was a sub-activity of the 2025 “National Month” Goes to the Middle East “Chengdu Products Go Global” series. Later this month, the center will also lead a delegation to hold the 2025 “Saudi Arabia” Israel E-commerce and Marketing Technology Roadshow and Business Matchmaking Conference, the Chengdu Business Overseas Escort Plan, and the “Chengdu Products Go Global”—Middle East Market Opportunities and Policy Interpretation Promotion Conference series of activities.
It is understood that the “National Month” series of activities mainly focus on three stages for enterprises going global: “Where to go,” “How to go,” and “Advanced Steps.” They organize various forms of activities such as policy interpretation, roadshow promotions, business negotiations, corporate sand tables, and corporate research. They also invite target country government departments and investment institutions to Chengdu for matchmaking, helping enterprises find suitable regions for global expansion and assisting them in expanding overseas markets.
