UAE Named Guest of Honour at Global Digital Trade Expo 2025
The United Arab Emirates will take part as an official Guest of Honour at the fourth Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Indonesia will also share this recognition. The expo opens tomorrow at the Hangzhou Grand Convention and Exhibition Centre and runs until 29th September. Covering 155,000 square metres, this is the largest edition since the event’s launch in 2022.
Scale, Innovation, and UAE Showcase
This year’s expo is expected to host more than 1,700 companies, with 360 of them coming from overseas. Organisers anticipate over 40,000 professional visitors, including 10,000 international participants. Exhibits will spotlight artificial intelligence, virtual reality, smart logistics, digital entertainment, e-commerce, and smart city technologies.
The UAE will present a national pavilion showcasing projects in the digital economy, FinTech, AI, and smart government solutions. This pavilion highlights the nation’s commitment to advancing digital transformation and supporting knowledge-based growth. Furthermore, the UAE’s position as Guest of Honour reflects its expanding digital infrastructure and its growing role in shaping the global digital economy.
Global Partnerships and Future Outlook
China’s Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping confirmed that more than 70 Fortune Global 500 companies are exhibiting at this edition. In addition, the expo will feature research reports on both global and Chinese digital trade. More than 30 business matchmaking events are scheduled, offering companies opportunities to build partnerships.
Relations between the UAE and China have strengthened steadily over the past few years. Bilateral trade now stands at US$90 billion annually, with an ambitious target of US$200 billion set for 2030. Beyond trade, cooperation also extends into culture, education, sports, and tourism. In fact, the UAE welcomed over one million Chinese visitors in 2024, reflecting the strong ties between the two nations.
