Hangzhou – China
The Arab Federation for Digital Economy opened its new headquarters in Hangzhou, China, in an institutional step that reflects the Federation’s orientation towards building a sustainable presence in one of the most prominent Chinese environments in the fields of digital economy, artificial intelligence, robotics, trade and technology, and opening continuous working channels between Arab institutions and companies and their Chinese counterparts.
The official opening of the representative office in (Zhizaogu Industrial Park) in the (Binjiang) area of Hangzhou came after it was announced during the (Digital Trade Night) events accompanying the fifth session of the Global Digital Trade Fair (GDTE).
The announcement was attended by a number of Arab and Chinese leaders and representatives of the Zhejiang Provincial Government and Hangzhou Municipality, in a move that reflected the beginning of a new phase of institutional work between the Federation and its partners in China.
The official opening ceremony was held in the presence of His Excellency Atef Ahmed Helmy, Chairman of the General Assembly of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy and former Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Hani Mohamed Mahmoud, Chairman of Vodafone Egypt and former Minister of Communications and Information Technology, His Excellency Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Secretary General of the Federation of Arab Chambers and former Minister of Supply and Internal Trade in Egypt, Her Excellency Rkia Derham, former Minister of Digital Economy and Foreign Trade in Morocco, His Excellency Professor Dr. Ahmed Mostafa El Sherbini, Secretary General of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy and former Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt, His Excellency Ambassador Ahmed Mostafa Fahmy Hafez, Head of the Mission of the League of Arab States in Beijing, His Excellency Ambassador Ahmed Taher, Ambassador of the Republic of Somalia to the Sultanate of Oman, His Excellency Dr. Saeed Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Emirates Robotics and Automation Society, His Excellency Dr. Osman Mohamed Al Khouri, former CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Group, along with a number of Chinese officials and partners.
The opening ceremony included an introduction to the office’s role and work program, the ribbon-cutting, a tour of the headquarters and the surrounding technological environment, followed by a networking program and a visit to an exhibition specializing in robotics and embodied intelligence.
The office will serve as a permanent platform for the Federation in China, maintaining communication with government agencies, companies, technology and investment centers, exploring opportunities and projects that can be linked to the needs of Arab markets, in addition to monitoring partnerships being developed between the two sides.
The office’s scope of work covers artificial intelligence and robotics, digital commerce and e-commerce, digital infrastructure, education and skills development, smart cities, green technology and new energy, as well as supporting direct communication between Arab investors and companies and their counterparts in China.
For his part, His Excellency Engineer Atef Helmy, Chairman of the General Assembly of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy and former Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, stated that the opening of a representative office of the Federation in Hangzhou represents an important step to consolidate the Arab institutional presence in China, and to open a continuous path that combines technology, investment and markets, and supports building practical partnerships between institutions and companies from both sides.
His Excellency Professor Dr. Ahmed Mustafa Al-Sherbini, Secretary-General of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, pointed out that the office constitutes a permanent platform for following up on cooperation with Chinese entities and partners, and linking opportunities and projects to the Federation’s programs and the needs of Arab markets, thus enabling the transition from meetings and dialogues to implementable projects and partnerships.
The choice of Hangzhou is of particular importance as it is one of the leading centers of the digital economy and technology in China, while the (Binjiang) area represents an environment that brings together a number of companies working in innovation, artificial intelligence, robotics and future industries.
Following the opening ceremony, the delegation visited an exhibition specializing in robotics and embodied robotics within the industrial complex, to learn about companies, applications and technical solutions, and to explore areas where cooperation opportunities could be studied in the Arab markets.
The opening of the representative office comes as part of an integrated program of the Federation in Hangzhou that included organizing the first China-Arab Digital Dialogue, holding meetings with Chinese institutions and companies, and organizing specialized sessions that dealt with artificial intelligence, robotics, digital infrastructure, e-commerce, and green technology.
The representative office associated with the Federation in China thus represents an institutional point of contact between the Arab digital economy system and its partners in China, enabling continuous monitoring of opportunities, projects and partnerships, and linking dialogue and communication to initiatives and projects that can be implemented in the Arab and Chinese markets.
