Dubai Chambers, China Machinery Industry Federation strengthen cooperation
On the sidelines of the roundtable, Dubai Chambers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CMIF in the presence of Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, and Niansha Xu, Chairman of the China Machinery Industry Federation.
The MoU seeks to enhance bilateral cooperation, strengthen ties between the business communities in Dubai and China, and establish a framework for exploring joint opportunities across key sectors.
Lootah commented, 'We are committed to strengthening the economic ties between Dubai and China and advancing bilateral cooperation in priority areas, particularly the industrial sector. This will open new opportunities for the private sector and contribute to sustainable economic growth. We remain dedicated to supporting Chinese industrial companies in capitalising on Dubai's growth opportunities and unique competitive advantages as a leading global business hub.'
Under the terms of the MoU, Dubai Chambers will provide comprehensive support to CMIF member companies to help them establish and grow their operations in Dubai and capitalise on the emirate's attractive expansion opportunities.
Meanwhile, CMIF will support companies operating in Dubai in building partnerships with their counterparts in mainland China. The two sides will also expand cooperation in specialised trade exhibitions, business missions, and the exchange of economic and trade data.
The roundtable brought together officials and representatives from leading industrial associations and major Chinese companies operating across sectors such as the automotive industry, construction, industrial machinery, agriculture, and water purification. Discussions focused on increasing bilateral trade and investment in these areas and exploring how Dubai's specialised exhibitions can serve as a platform for Chinese manufacturers to expand regionally and globally.
Participants also reviewed Dubai's growing focus on future-facing sectors, including artificial intelligence and robotics. The event highlighted Dubai Chambers' role in supporting both Chinese SMEs and major industrial players in leveraging Dubai as a gateway to global markets.
Strategic cooperation opportunities between Dubai Chambers and CMIF and its affiliates were also explored, to attract more Chinese industrial companies to establish a presence in the emirate.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
New Dubai schools opening in 2025–26: Your admission cheat sheet
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are not just growing — they're reimagining the school experience. From cutting-edge campuses to curriculum innovation, the race to expand capacity and offer diverse learning pathways is in full swing. Fuelled by government vision and rising parental expectations, the surge in new school openings is reshaping the educational landscape. In Dubai alone, more than 16,000 new seats were added in the 2024–25 academic year, pushing private school enrolment past 387,000 students and counting. This momentum is set to continue. As part of the Education 33 (E33) strategy, authorities plan to open at least 100 new private schools by 2033 across both emirates, aiming to add nearly 50,000 school seats. The focus isn't just on growth; it's also about improving access, affordability, and the overall student experience, with future-ready learning at the core. Already, four new schools are confirmed to open in Dubai in 2025 and two more in 2026, with over 20 applications currently under KHDA review. These schools will bring much-needed capacity, especially for primary-aged children, and will be located in key residential hubs such as Dubai Sports City, City of Arabia, Academic City, Emirates Hills, and Jumeirah Park. Whether you're a new resident or simply looking for the right fit for your child, navigating the admissions landscape can be overwhelming. This cheat sheet breaks down everything you need to know about the new schools opening in 2025–26: from curricula and location to tuition fees, helping you make informed choices during this period of rapid expansion. Summary table: New schools opening in 2025–26 Dubai British School Mira to open in August 2025, expanding Taaleem's DBS network Opening: August 2025 Grades: FS1 to Year 6 initially, expanding to Year 13 Curriculum: National Curriculum for England Fees: Dh51,477–Dh58,836 annually Location: Reem and Mira communities Operator: Taaleem Highlights: Inclusive ethos, strong academics, and part of the 'Outstanding'-rated DBS Emirates Hills network Victory Heights Primary School to open new campus in City of Arabia Opening: August 2025 Grades: FS1 to Year 6 Curriculum: British Fees: Dh40,000–Dh57,000 annually Capacity: 850 students Location: City of Arabia, Dubailand Operator: Interstar Advisory Services Highlights: Outstanding KHDA rating, play-based learning, focus on oracy Images: Supplied by Interstar Education (VHPS) Dubai English Speaking School to open new campus in Academic City in 2025 Opening: September 2025 Grades: FS1 to Year 6 Curriculum: National Curriculum for England Fees: Dh51,477–Dh77,217 annually Capacity: 1,250 students (six to seven classes per year group) Location: Academic City, opposite DESSC Operator: Not-for-profit (DESS) Highlights: Capped class sizes (20 in FS, 23 in Years 1–6), forest school, swimming pool, and adventure playground Images: From DESS website GEMS School of Research and Innovation set to become a premium educational institution in Dubai Sports City Opening: TBC (expected 2025) Grades: Initially up to Year 6 Curriculum: English National Curriculum Fees: Starting at Dh152,000; upper years exceed Dh200,000 Location: Dubai Sports City Operator: GEMS Education Highlights: Innovation labs, AI-focused curriculum, Olympic pool, 200-seat basketball arena, fencing, and martial arts dojo Class Size: Max 16 in early years, 20 by Year 6 Incentive: 20% founding discount for FS1–Year 6 Harrow International School Dubai to open in 2026 Opening: 2026 Grades: Early Years to Year 6 (initially) Curriculum: British (Harrow approach) Fees: Dh80,000–Dh100,000 for primary years Location: Along Hessa Street, near Emirates Hills Operator: Taaleem Capacity: Up to 2,000 students Highlights: STEAM labs, Centre for Performing Arts, neuroarchitectural design, values-based leadership programme Ash Mount School set to bring full IB curriculum to Dubai's Mudon in 2026
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Long commute, small homes: Meet UAE parents rebuilding life around schools
As rents climb and communities evolve across Dubai, a growing number of families are restructuring their lives around one non-negotiable priority — access to quality education. From trading larger homes for smaller ones to relocating across the city despite rising property prices, parents are increasingly putting schooling at the heart of every life decision. 'Raising a family starts with school' 'We've been living in Springs since 2012,' said long-time resident Arijit Nandi, recalling how the community evolved alongside his growing family. 'First in Springs 7, we paid around Dh100,000 for a type 4M. However, those rents have now gone up to a minimum of Dh160,000 for the same type, depending on how much a villa has been upgraded.' 'Our son was born in that house, and then he started going to the Raffles Nursery in the Springs Souk, which came up later,' he added. 'It was literally built in front of our eyes.' With the nursery just a short walk away and all amenities within reach, the family found Springs to be a convenient place to raise a young child. As their son grew older, the educational options in and around Springs became even more appealing. 'We learnt that Springs has several good schools in the neighbourhood, like Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills (DIA EH), Dubai British School, and Emirates International School–Meadows,' Arijit explained. 'That's when we became keen on buying a property.' 'Then covid happened.' Arijit shared that while many were hesitant, they saw the pandemic dip in property prices as the right time to invest. 'My wife suggested we explore newer communities, but I was quite keen on continuing in Springs. It's an older community, but that's exactly what makes it so liveable… it's green, quiet, and well-connected to the major roads like Sheikh Zayed and Al Khail.' More importantly, the decision aligned with their son's schooling needs. 'Our son had just started at DIA EH, which is five minutes away from where we currently live, and it is one of the best IB schools in the city.' 'When you're raising a family, school becomes the centre of everything.' Arijit emphasised that their housing decisions were made around access to good education. 'We didn't want long commutes, and we didn't want to compromise on education.' Arijit highlighted that in hindsight, it's been a worthwhile investment. 'Education is the anchor around which we've rebuilt our lives, and we're happy to make other trade-offs to give our child stability and access to one of the best curriculums and schools in this vicinity.' 'We've downsized, but school comes first' British expat Sally Maddison has also reshaped her family's life around her children's schooling — and housing costs have forced more than one move in recent years. 'I'm now moving to Arabian Ranches 2 from Serena in Dubailand, after having lived in Sustainable City for years,' says Sally. 'Originally, I left Sustainable City and moved to Serena because the rent was significantly lower — but my kids' school, Fairgreen International, is in Sustainable City, where we had lived for years. That place really felt like home.' Sally's family was forced to leave when their landlord sold the villa to another investor. 'We were paying Dh170,000, but the new landlord listed it for Dh310,000. We had no choice but to move. We found another villa in Sustainable City, but the rent shot up to Dh250,000.' Eventually, that too became unsustainable. Now, Sally is relocating to Arabian Ranches 2, where they'll be paying Dh210,000 for a villa — still a sharp increase from previous years. 'Two to three years ago, villas in Ranches were going for Dh130,000 to Dh150,000,' she says. 'We've downsized so much, but at least this new location is close to my children's school and their friends.' While exploring other communities like Town Square and Emaar South, she found challenges ranging from traffic congestion to shrinking home sizes. 'The villas keep getting smaller — Arabian Ranches 3 is half the size of Ranches 1. Everything they're building now is more compact.' But despite the compromises, Sally is clear about one thing… proximity to school remains non-negotiable. 'For us, school comes first.' 'We moved for affordability, but not at the cost of school' For French expat Christine Quartier La Tente, rising rents left her with little choice but to move house. After years of living in the Springs, she shifted to Damac Hills 2 two years ago to manage costs more effectively. 'In 2023, we were paying Dh165,000 for a Type 1M villa in Springs — a large, three-bedroom home with a study that was nearly the size of a fourth bedroom. It was a very spacious house, but it just wasn't financially sustainable for us anymore,' said Christine. 'Now, we pay Dh105,000 in Damac Hills 2. For the past two years, we had been paying Dh95,000, which made a significant difference to our finances.' However, while the family made compromises on their location, there was one non-negotiable — their daughter's school. 'I had promised my daughter Daria that no matter what, we wouldn't change her school because she loves her school. So, we've kept that promise,' Christine added. 'She's been at Raffles World Academy since her early years, and it's the one constant in our lives amid all the change.' Christine shared that they never seriously considered shifting Daria to a nearby school in Damac Hills 2, also for another reason. 'She's always studied in an IB curriculum school, and most of the schools closer to us now follow the British curriculum. That made it easier to stick with her current school.' The decision does come with a significant daily commute. 'My husband drops her to school in Umm Suqeim 3 every morning — it takes about 35 minutes. I pick her up in the afternoon, and it can take up to 50 minutes depending on traffic,' she explained. 'I take Sheikh Zayed Road, then Expo Road and E77, usually driving between 120–140 km/hr.' Even when they lived in Springs, the school commute was never short. 'It used to take Daria about 45 minutes to an hour to get home by bus. To be honest, I have started liking Damac Hills now,' added Christine.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Nvidia defends H20 GPU sales to China amid criticism from Democratic senators
Nvidia has defended itself against recent criticism over a decision by President Donald Trump's administration to grant licences to the company to sell its H20 graphics processing unit (GPU) to China. The response comes after a group of Democratic senators on Monday urged the Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who largely crafts export policies, to reverse course on the licences. The lawmakers said a decision to sell H20 chips to China was "an abrupt departure" from the administration's position in April that Beijing's access to the processors posed a serious national security risk. "And it undermines the administration's recent Al Action Plan, which purports to strengthen export control efforts on Al compute,' the letter states, referring to Mr Trump's AI strategy that included 90 federal policy actions. The senators also warned that such policy reversals would bolster China's push to use AI to 'strengthen military systems'. The letter is the latest in a back-and-forth battle over how to best protect and promote US AI technology. 'The H20 helps America win the support of developers worldwide, promoting America's economic and national security,' an Nvidia representative told The National. 'It does not enhance anyone's military capabilities, and the US government has full visibility and authority over every H20 transaction.' Shortly after a trip to Beijing this month, Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang highlighted the Trump administration's assurances about resuming sales of the H20 to China, and said deliveries would begin soon. The H20 is designed to comply with US regulations that seek to prevent powerful AI technology from being used by countries it views as adversaries. But in recent years, and particularly during former president Joe Biden's administration, the US has sought to clamp down on the export of AI technologies to a greater degree, especially CPUs and GPUs, which have become critical for countries seeking to build up AI infrastructure. Nvidia came out in January against the stronger export controls proposed by Mr Biden, saying these undermined US leadership in AI with a 'regulatory morass'. Since his inauguration, Mr Trump has taken a softer approach to AI-related export controls. Recent deals announced with the UAE to build an AI data centre, which also included security stipulations to prevent the potential diffusion of US technology to adversarial countries, was widely seen as a win for US technology companies that have largely opposed strict export policies. Despite efforts in recent years to prevent the diffusion of US AI technology, some analysts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the overall policy. A new report from Jefferies, an investment banking and capital market firm based in New York, indicated that strict US export policies had prompted China to recalibrate and build up its own chip-making capability, with companies like Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation making strides. Regardless, in their letter to Mr Lutnick, the senators maintained that 'restricting access to leading-edge chips has been the defining barrier for China's efforts to achieve Al parity', expressing concern that the Trump administration would make further exceptions to loosen various export policies it once advocated. 'This administration is permitting adversaries access to technologies critical to national security as part of trade discussions without consultation or input from Congress,' they wrote. A spokesperson with the US Department of Commerce said Biden administration didn't impose 'any restrictions on the H20 whatsoever and they flowed freely into China,' adding that the Trump White House was the first to implement a licence requirement for the exports to Beijing. 'The Trump administration will consider any H20 licence applications carefully, accounting for both the benefits and the costs of potential exports from America and considering the views of experts across the US Government,' the Commerce Department spokesperson told The National. White House officials have recently indicated that policies seeking to prevent the export of US AI technology might ultimately backfire. 'We don't want to create demand for Huawei,' White House AI chief David Sacks said during a round-table discussion at the Pennsylvania Energy and AI Summit.
