Ras Al Khaimah has stepped up its campaign to attract South China’s green technology, advanced construction and smart logistics companies after a four-day business mission across Guangdong and Fujian provinces drew more than 500 business leaders and entrepreneurs.
The delegation, comprising government and business figures from the emirate, held promotion conferences in Guangzhou and Fuzhou under the theme “Together Towards Shared Value”, positioning Ras Al Khaimah as a manufacturing and distribution base for Chinese companies seeking growth across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Europe.
The outreach follows memoranda of understanding signed this year with Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, aimed at easing investment flows, supporting project financing and encouraging joint ventures in manufacturing, logistics, ports, renewable energy and infrastructure. It also builds on a 2024 cooperation agreement between Ras Al Khaimah and Guangdong Province, a key industrial and export powerhouse in southern China.
Officials from Ras Al Khaimah used the tour to highlight three priority areas: advanced construction, green energy and smart logistics. The delegation included Marjan, Al Hamra and RAK Properties on the real estate and master development side, alongside RAK Ports, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone and RAK Municipality, giving potential investors a view of land, infrastructure, licensing, logistics and sustainability planning.
Alma Au Yeung, Greater China Affairs Adviser at the Office of the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, said Chinese companies were already operating successfully in the emirate and that the next phase would focus on enterprises able to scale production, localise manufacturing and access wider regional demand. She said Ras Al Khaimah’s stable business environment, infrastructure and connectivity made it a gateway for companies targeting the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
The emirate’s pitch comes as Chinese green technology manufacturers accelerate overseas expansion amid trade frictions, localisation requirements and rising demand for clean industrial supply chains. Since 2022, Chinese companies have committed more than $220bn to overseas clean-technology manufacturing projects covering batteries, solar, wind, new energy vehicles and green hydrogen across dozens of countries.
Ras Al Khaimah is seeking to insert itself into that reconfiguration by offering port access, industrial land, lower operating costs, full foreign ownership and simplified licensing. Saqr Port, described as the largest bulk port in the Middle East, has become central to the offer for heavy materials, prefabricated construction components and circular economy projects.
Jianhua Holdings Group, a Chinese producer of advanced construction materials, was cited as a case study during the mission. Guo Qiang, the company’s Middle East regional general manager, said proximity to Saqr Port had helped reduce transport costs for heavy construction materials, while government support and one-stop services strengthened the group’s confidence in building a regional production and distribution hub in the emirate.
Mighty Industrial Park was also presented as part of the emirate’s China-linked industrial platform. Zhang Qinwei, its chairman, said Ras Al Khaimah’s support for capital-intensive projects and circular economy investments, together with policies such as 100 per cent foreign ownership and no foreign exchange controls, provided favourable conditions for Chinese companies seeking to scale.
The latest push fits a wider investment strategy by Ras Al Khaimah, which has been courting China and Hong Kong capital across real estate, green technology and digital sectors. The emirate aims to raise annual tourist arrivals to more than 3.5 million by 2030, compared with 1.3 million in 2024, while major developments on Al Marjan Island are expected to add thousands of hotel rooms, residential units and holiday villas.
Chinese contractors are already involved in large projects in the emirate, including China State Construction Engineering and China Railway. RAK Properties has also been looking at China-facing sales and marketing channels as property developers seek broader Asian investor participation.
RAKEZ has been deepening its China pipeline through roadshows and institutional links with areas including Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Liaocheng and Tianjin. The zone says it has attracted more than 200 Chinese enterprises across LED lighting, packaging, recycling, engineering, wood processing, food production and advanced manufacturing.
The delegation, comprising government and business figures from the emirate, held promotion conferences in Guangzhou and Fuzhou under the theme “Together Towards Shared Value”, positioning Ras Al Khaimah as a manufacturing and distribution base for Chinese companies seeking growth across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Europe.
The outreach follows memoranda of understanding signed this year with Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, aimed at easing investment flows, supporting project financing and encouraging joint ventures in manufacturing, logistics, ports, renewable energy and infrastructure. It also builds on a 2024 cooperation agreement between Ras Al Khaimah and Guangdong Province, a key industrial and export powerhouse in southern China.
Officials from Ras Al Khaimah used the tour to highlight three priority areas: advanced construction, green energy and smart logistics. The delegation included Marjan, Al Hamra and RAK Properties on the real estate and master development side, alongside RAK Ports, Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone and RAK Municipality, giving potential investors a view of land, infrastructure, licensing, logistics and sustainability planning.
Alma Au Yeung, Greater China Affairs Adviser at the Office of the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, said Chinese companies were already operating successfully in the emirate and that the next phase would focus on enterprises able to scale production, localise manufacturing and access wider regional demand. She said Ras Al Khaimah’s stable business environment, infrastructure and connectivity made it a gateway for companies targeting the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
The emirate’s pitch comes as Chinese green technology manufacturers accelerate overseas expansion amid trade frictions, localisation requirements and rising demand for clean industrial supply chains. Since 2022, Chinese companies have committed more than $220bn to overseas clean-technology manufacturing projects covering batteries, solar, wind, new energy vehicles and green hydrogen across dozens of countries.
Ras Al Khaimah is seeking to insert itself into that reconfiguration by offering port access, industrial land, lower operating costs, full foreign ownership and simplified licensing. Saqr Port, described as the largest bulk port in the Middle East, has become central to the offer for heavy materials, prefabricated construction components and circular economy projects.
Jianhua Holdings Group, a Chinese producer of advanced construction materials, was cited as a case study during the mission. Guo Qiang, the company’s Middle East regional general manager, said proximity to Saqr Port had helped reduce transport costs for heavy construction materials, while government support and one-stop services strengthened the group’s confidence in building a regional production and distribution hub in the emirate.
Mighty Industrial Park was also presented as part of the emirate’s China-linked industrial platform. Zhang Qinwei, its chairman, said Ras Al Khaimah’s support for capital-intensive projects and circular economy investments, together with policies such as 100 per cent foreign ownership and no foreign exchange controls, provided favourable conditions for Chinese companies seeking to scale.
The latest push fits a wider investment strategy by Ras Al Khaimah, which has been courting China and Hong Kong capital across real estate, green technology and digital sectors. The emirate aims to raise annual tourist arrivals to more than 3.5 million by 2030, compared with 1.3 million in 2024, while major developments on Al Marjan Island are expected to add thousands of hotel rooms, residential units and holiday villas.
Chinese contractors are already involved in large projects in the emirate, including China State Construction Engineering and China Railway. RAK Properties has also been looking at China-facing sales and marketing channels as property developers seek broader Asian investor participation.
RAKEZ has been deepening its China pipeline through roadshows and institutional links with areas including Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Liaocheng and Tianjin. The zone says it has attracted more than 200 Chinese enterprises across LED lighting, packaging, recycling, engineering, wood processing, food production and advanced manufacturing.
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