Chinese technology firms highlight Dubai’s advantages in advanced air mobility, drone logistics and cross-border payments as the emirate strengthens its position as a global hub for innovation and investment
Dubai: Dubai Chambers is intensifying engagement with China’s business community ahead of the Dubai Business Forum – China, which will be held in Shenzhen on 14 October 2026 under the theme “Momentum at Scale: Accelerating Shared Success.”
The forum is expected to bring together senior government officials, investors, business leaders and representatives from the public and private sectors to explore new opportunities for trade, investment and economic cooperation between Dubai and China.
The event comes as a growing number of Chinese technology companies are choosing Dubai as a regional and international base, citing the emirate’s advanced infrastructure, supportive regulatory environment, strong public-private collaboration and strategic connectivity across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Chinese innovators expand through Dubai
Dubai Chambers said leading Chinese companies operating in sectors including advanced air mobility, aerial logistics and cross-border payments are increasingly leveraging Dubai as a platform for growth and international expansion.
Among them is ARIDGE (formerly XPENG AEROHT), Asia’s largest flying car company, which selected Dubai as a key base for its expansion into the advanced air mobility market.
In October 2025, the company conducted the first public manned flight demonstration of its flying car outside China and later secured purchase agreements for 600 units across Middle Eastern markets, including the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.
The company said Dubai offers ideal conditions for the commercial deployment of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
“With nearly one-third of the global population within a three-to-six-hour flight radius, Dubai provides an ideal strategic base for eVTOL and Advanced Air Mobility companies to scale efficiently and access surrounding regional markets,” the company said.
ARIDGE also highlighted Dubai’s supportive regulatory framework, future mobility ambitions and opportunities for low-altitude airspace testing as key drivers behind its expansion.
Drone delivery ecosystem gains momentum
Keeta Drone, the drone delivery arm of China’s Meituan, is also expanding in Dubai after receiving the UAE’s first Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) commercial licence from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority in December 2024.
The company said institutional cooperation and regulatory clarity were among the primary reasons behind its decision to establish operations in Dubai.
Junwei Yang, General Manager of Keeta Drone, said: “In Dubai, the defining difference is the decisive decision-making and willingness to co-build with the operators and partners. The public and private sides are genuinely connected, and it is a very supportive ecosystem.”
Land Aircraft Carrier flying over the Palm in Dubai.
Yang added that Dubai’s openness to emerging technologies and willingness to work alongside operators enabled the company to accelerate deployment faster than in other markets evaluated.
The company is currently working with government entities, developers and enterprise partners to explore new drone delivery routes across residential communities, universities, beaches and parks.
Payments gateway connecting Asia, Middle East and Africa
Chinese payments company PingPong has likewise expanded its presence in Dubai to support growing trade flows between China, the Middle East and Africa.
The company views Dubai as a central node linking physical trade with the financial infrastructure required to support cross-border business.
Co-founder Aaron Lu said Dubai enables businesses to manage multiple regional trade corridors from a single location.
“By anchoring with us in Dubai, they gain a payments foundation that scales across the entire arc from East Asia to Africa, without rebuilding that infrastructure market by market as they grow.”
Lu also highlighted Dubai’s role as a meeting point for decision-makers from China and emerging markets, as well as the emirate’s advanced financial ecosystem, which includes technologies such as Aani instant payments, UAE Pass and ISO 20022 financial messaging standards.
Growing appeal for global technology companies
Dubai Chambers said the experiences of ARIDGE, Keeta Drone and PingPong demonstrate the emirate’s ability to attract and support high-growth international technology companies through a combination of:
Strong public-private partnershipsAccess to capital and investorsConnectivity to regional and global marketsSupport for testing and commercialising emerging technologies
The upcoming Dubai Business Forum – China is expected to further strengthen economic ties between Dubai and China’s innovation-driven business community, while showcasing the emirate’s role as a gateway for companies seeking expansion across the Middle East, Africa and beyond.
