Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, on Monday witnessed the signing of 24 agreements between the UAE and China to bolster bilateral economic, trade and investment relations.
The deals were made on Monday during the UAE-China Business Promotion Conference, on the sidelines of Sheikh Khaled's official visit to China.
Sheikh Khaled met Li Qiang, Premier of China, to discuss the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Here, he stressed the UAE’s keenness to strengthen ties with China during a dinner reception held in his honour.
Sheikh Khaled said it is important for both sides to build on the progress already achieved and work together to strengthen supply chains. The meeting also reviewed the Iran war, with the Chinese and UAE delegation highlighting the importance of supporting peaceful solutions to conflict.
They also witnessed the signing of deals agreed at the earlier business conference, held under the theme From Vision to Value, where ministers, senior officials and business leaders from both countries explored new avenues for collaboration, investment and innovation.
Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said the agreements give the trade and investment relations between the UAE and China new impetus for further constructive co-operation and strategic partnership.
“The UAE and China share a common vision to build a more prosperous future for the business communities in both countries, based on a close trade partnership that grows stronger and stronger year after year, as non-oil bilateral trade exceeded the $100 billion mark for the first time in 2025, recording $111.5 billion, with a record annual growth of 24.5 per cent,” he told state news agency Wam.
It came on the same day as Etihad Airways unveiled a significant expansion of its network in mainland China, introducing five new routes and adding 28 weekly flights. These will increase the airline’s operations in the country to 35 weekly flights across six gateways.
Starting later this year and continuing into early next year, Etihad will launch services from Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi to Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. These new services will complement Etihad’s existing daily flights to Beijing Daxing.
All routes are set to be operated by the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, featuring a two-class configuration of 28 business and 262 economy seats.
The new schedule will begin with daily flights to Shanghai Pudong on October 1. In March next year, the airline will introduce daily flights to Guangzhou, five-weekly services to Hangzhou and Shenzhen, and four-weekly flights to Chengdu.
Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of Etihad Airways, said: “The ties between the UAE and China continue to flourish, with today’s announcement reflecting the enduring strength and growing promise of our co-operation.
“The expanded network, made possible by our long-standing partnership with China Eastern, connects unique tourism destinations with burgeoning trading hubs, delivering shared and lasting economic prosperity and value to our people.”
Historic visit
Sheikh Khaled arrived in Beijing on Sunday to begin his official visit, intended to advance ties between the countries.
The high-profile engagement is in support of joint efforts by the long-standing allies to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership and provide more opportunities for development and economic co-operation.
Sheikh Khaled is joined in the Chinese capital by a high-level delegation including Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, special envoy of the UAE President to China and chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc; Mohamed Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment; Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Saeed Al Hajeri, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Saif Ghobash, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and chairman of the Office of the Crown Prince; and Mariam Almheiri, chairwoman of Abu Dhabi Media Office and adviser of strategic relations at the Crown Prince Court.
President Sheikh Mohamed visited Beijing in 2024 and held talks with President Xi Jinping. The UAE leader also visited the Monument to the People's Heroes in Beijing, where he laid a wreath and expressed his admiration for the Chinese people.
The monument was built in honour of the Chinese people who gave their lives in defence of their country throughout history.
