Shenzhen to host Dubai Business Forum in May

Video by Zhang Yu

The fifth international edition of the Dubai Business Forum will be held in Shenzhen on May 14 this year, the event’s organizer announced in Shenzhen yesterday morning.

Hosted by Dubai Chambers, the high-level forum aims to introduce the Chinese business community, particularly those innovative firms from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, to the diverse opportunities offered by the ambitious Dubai Economic Agenda (D33).

Dubai Chambers President and CEO Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah unveils plans for the fifth international edition of the Dubai Business Forum at a press conference in Shenzhen yesterday. Photos courtesy of Dubai Chambers

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, president and CEO of Dubai Chambers, emphasized the strategic choice of Shenzhen.

“Our return to China for the Dubai Business Forum, and specifically to the innovation hub of Shenzhen, is a testament to our deep commitment to this vital economic partnership,” he said.

“We are here to build tangible pathways for growth in the digital economy, helping pioneering Chinese companies leverage Dubai’s strategic platform to scale internationally,” Lootah added, highlighting the forum’s role as a catalyst for new collaborations that will drive shared prosperity.

Positioned as a premier platform for strategic dialogue, the forum will bring together a curated audience of leaders from multinational corporations, tech scale-ups, unicorns, venture capital firms, and family businesses. They will engage with a high-level Dubai delegation of C-suite executives, family offices, and free‑zone and government representatives.

Attendees take part in a featured session of the Dubai Business Forum, held in Beijing on Aug. 21, 2024.

The agenda features in-depth sessions focused on innovation, trade, the digital economy, and future industries, alongside curated business-matching meetings, sector roundtables, and policy dialogues aimed at fostering long-term collaboration.

The selection of Shenzhen as the host city underscores its global stature as a technology and business center. According to the Dubai Chambers, the strategic focus of Dubai and Shenzhen on the digital economy and AI sectors is highly aligned, laying a solid foundation for future in-depth cooperation.

The forum leverages the strong and rapidly growing presence of Chinese businesses in Dubai. By the end of the third quarter of 2025, over 6,190 active Chinese companies were registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, statistics showed.

This event marks the forum’s second edition in China, following a successful gathering in Beijing in August 2024 that attracted more than 800 business leaders and investors, the chambers said.