Zheng Minghua, Chairman of Qingdao Port and Zhang Kingaya, Deputy Director-General of the Port, visited Jebel Ali Free Zone, Jafza, yesterday. They were received by Salma Ali Saif bin Hareb, CEO of Jafza and Economic Zones World, EZW, and Ibrahim Mohamed Al Janahi, Jafza Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer of EZW, at the Free Zone.
Salma Hareb in her welcome address underlined the historical ties between Dubai and China, as well as Jafza-China trade relations and stressed the need to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two sides.
She said, “China is one of Dubai and Jafza’s top trading partners. 60 percent of China’s trade with the region is routed through the Jebel Ali Port and the Free Zone. Jafza is currently home to more than 238 Chinese companies which includes leading multi-nationals such as SINOPEC Group, Sinochem International, China National Petroleum Corp., CSCEC, and China Railway Engineering Middle East among others.
These companies have played a key role in strengthening bilateral trade relations between China and the UAE. We look forward to strong relations with the Port of Qingdao, which is an important manufacturing centre in East China, to further strengthen Dubai-China trade ties.
“The bilateral trade between Jafza and China has posted more than 5-fold growth in the last 10 years growing from AED4 billion in 2004 to AED46 billion in 2013. The growth reflects growing interest of Chinese multinationals in the Middle East region and their desire to use Jafza as their re-export hub.” The Free Zone’s key offerings include the most efficient multi-modal connectivity, range of products to meet a variety of business needs, world-class ecosystem comprising a range of services, from http://www.businesstoday.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/sample10.jpgistrative to regulatory, under one roof, and a vibrant global business community. These integral elements have successfully positioned Jafza as the trade and logistics hub of the entire Middle East region comprising West Asia, the CIS, Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Zheng Minghua congratulated Salma Hareb on Jafza’s outstanding products, services and ecosystem. He expressed his keen interest to further strengthen trade ties with the Free Zone to support Jafza-China trade growth in the coming years.
Qingdao is one of the busiest ports in the world. It is home to three industrial zones: Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Area, Qingdao Free Trade Zone, and Qingdao High-tech Industrial Zone, and is considered a center for heavy industries like iron and steel. The port has been the 2nd largest for foreign trade throughput in China for a number of years.
Source : WAM News Agency for United Arab Emirates
