As the Middle East market continues to heat up, Dubai, with its open business environment, mature financial system and forward-looking digitalization policies, is becoming an important landing hub for Chinese companies in investment, trade and technology innovation. According to information released by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, about 58% of the multinational companies it attracted to Dubai in the first half of 2025 are from Asia, with Chinese companies accounting for a significant proportion. At present, investment, trade and science and technology have become the three key areas of focus for enterprises going to Dubai.

Investment company landing in Dubai: a dual path analysis of holding and business types

In recent years, Chinese investment enterprises have entered Dubai in two main modes: first, holding companies focusing on cross-regional capital management; and second, business-oriented companies centered on market operation and trade transshipment.

Holding companies have the advantage of the UAE's tax environment, where capital gains and dividends are virtually tax-free, making it ideal for cross-border structuring. In addition, Dubai's location in a time zone that connects China's supply chain to the European market facilitates a smooth management chain for the head office, while market-facing companies rely on Dubai's hub function as a traditional trading center in the Gulf region to reach Saudi, African and European markets. Overall, the holding structure focuses on tax planning, cross-regional deployment and organizational management, while the business structure focuses on supply chain, channel coverage and market expansion.

The process of registering a company in Dubai is not very different, but the key is to form a "substantial business", which is directly related to the opening of a bank account and commercial credit. Compared to simply registering a shell company, Dubai as the Middle East operational headquarters or second headquarters, can better utilize its market node value. Dubai's mature trade system, rich exhibition resources and high foreign population help enterprises to establish a real operating base.

Trading Companies Going to Dubai: Insights into Different Trading Models and Growth Opportunities

Based on the different business objectives, trading enterprises in Dubai usually enter the local market in a pure trading mode based on the circulation of goods, or in a brand exhibition mode centered on brand exposure, both of which have different focuses in terms of landing preparations, resource allocation and subsequent operational requirements.

The pure trade model, which focuses on the circulation of goods, pays more attention to supply chain, price system and channel coverage; while the brand exhibition model, which centers on brand exposure and display, needs to invest more preparations in brand visualization, product positioning, local preferences and preferences, participation in exhibitions and protection of intellectual property rights.

Take a perfume enterprise from Zhejiang as an example to illustrate, due to the strong demand for incense products in the local market, Chinese enterprises can be based on their own factory capacity and adapt to the Middle East aesthetics, can be further extended from the OEM link to brand building. As the competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing increases, more and more companies have the foundation for branding in the Middle East.

In addition, Dubai's business ecosystem is naturally globalized and companies are able to obtain cross-regional market feedback locally. The clustering of companies from China, India, Europe and other regions in Dubai makes it easier for brands to reach out to cross-regional buyers and specialized channels when launching locally, thus gaining wider market validation opportunities.

The path of Chinese companies going overseas is extending from OEM to service and branding, but branding is not just packaging and design, but a set of comprehensive capabilities including after-sales, market maintenance and cooperation structure. If a company lacks the ability to sustain operations, it may be difficult for the brand to maintain a stable performance in the competition. Therefore, it is recommended that enterprises focus on long-term investment planning and regional service system construction when landing brands in Dubai. Many Chinese companies have struggled to maintain their brand reputation overseas due to a lack of service in the past, and this is of particular concern to Middle Eastern companies when working together.

It is worth noting that the current Middle East e-commerce market is growing rapidly, with a rich variety of consumer products, providing diversified opportunities for enterprises. Platforms such as Amazon have already established themselves in the region, and Chinese companies have a clear advantage in supply chain management, category richness and product update speed. Currently, the top performing categories include consumer electronics, beauty and apparel, jewelry, food and retail grocery, trendy games, as well as FMCG and daily necessities that rely on China's supply chain. Demand for beauty and accessories is growing rapidly in the Middle East, and companies landing in the Middle East often receive rapid market feedback.

In terms of the tax system, the overall tax burden and compliance requirements for e-commerce operations in the Middle East are more manageable compared to Europe and the US. The supply chain collection and payment process is standardized, data transparency, VAT is 5% and declared on a quarterly basis, and corporate income tax is only levied on profits exceeding 375,000 dirhams 9%.

With regard to licensing of trade operations, the UAE classifies trade as restricted or unrestricted, with no licensing required for general goods but third-party approval required for sensitive products. Free zone companies can trade generally, offshore or in transit, but if they sell into the UAE, they are required to pay VAT and customs duties and register a domestic company. Meanwhile, free zone companies mainly conduct B2B business and must register as in-country companies if they wish to target individual consumers.

Dubai: A Globalized Proving Ground for Policy, Ecology, and Talent

With the rapid rise of the Middle East market, Dubai is not only a traditional hub for investment and trade, but is also being upgraded as a strategic landing spot for tech companies. From artificial intelligence to autonomous driving, from meta-universes to robotics, Chinese tech companies are considering Dubai as a key window for strategic landing and international expansion.

Policy support and ecosystems are key considerations for startups choosing to locate in Dubai. Dubai's economic agenda, D33, lists high-tech as a core area, and the Smart Cities Council, in conjunction with IFZA, provides cluster solutions such as AI, drones and urban monitoring, which provide perfect support for enterprises to land and validate their technologies. At the same time, Dubai's exemption from personal income tax and low corporate income tax is an immediate attraction for key talent and companies in the tech sector.

The landed operations of technology enterprises need to be refined from a globalized perspective. The choice of the type of company's landing directly affects the efficiency of its international operations, for example, free zone companies are suitable for conducting business in the global market. At the same time, talent mobility, visa management and cultural differences are all critical factors in operations. Especially for startups, multinational talent management, team building and cultural adaptation often determine the success or failure of a company's landing.

Talent resources are the core support for the successful landing of technology enterprises in Dubai. Dubai's concentration of Middle Eastern and international science and technology talents, the continuous supply of science and technology talents from neighboring universities, as well as the global network of agents providing headhunting and labor services, can help Chinese companies quickly set up teams that meet international standards.

IFZA Free Zone Dubai: One-stop support for business landing and operations

Dubai is located at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and Europe, with a four-hour flight to cover a population of 2 billion and an eight-hour flight to reach half of the world's consumer base. With its excellent geographical location, perfect logistics system, as well as open policies, regulatory transparency and tax incentives, Dubai has become an ideal place for Chinese enterprises to set up overseas operation centers and regional headquarters.

Meanwhile, its layout in digital economy fields such as financial technology, smart city construction, artificial intelligence, blockchain and cross-border payment provides a wide space for Chinese technology enterprises to land and cooperate, and become a business innovation hub radiating to the Middle East and Africa.

As a free zone with strong development momentum in Dubai, in addition to 100% foreign capital holding, complete free remittance of funds, tariff and VAT exemption and other favorable business landing, IFZA Dubai has a perfect service system, with more than 600 service personnel and 2,500 agents, providing one-stop support for Chinese enterprises to land in Dubai in terms of registration, visas and operations.

In addition, IFZA offers internship programs, IT platforms and remote collaboration tools to help companies recruit and train their teams. IFZA is empowering companies with an innovation ecosystem through innovative programs such as the Scale360 Accelerator, which supports hi-tech companies to quickly register and get up and running in 7 days, and fintech companies to gain compliance assurance through VERA.

The IFZA Free Zone has a number of unique advantages:

• The registration fees are transparent and relatively inexpensive, and are particularly suitable for small, medium and micro enterprises related to trading, consulting and services.
• The registration process is simple and supports remote company registration, and a company can be registered in 5-7 working days.
• Wide range of business licenses. In the IFZA Free Zone, each business license can cover three cross-sectoral business activities at no additional cost.
• Provide professional consulting services covering bank account opening, license types, finance and tax laws and other essential knowledge.
• There is no requirement to lease a physical office for up to three visas, and virtual offices can be provided free of charge to startups.
• With specialized Chinese staff to provide full support to Chinese companies.