Abu Dhabi

His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohamed Al Khouri, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, praised the UAE’s experience as a model applicable to other Arab countries in achieving digital sovereignty, citing projects such as the Big Data Center for Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi and the development of Masdar City as a hub for innovation and clean technology.

He called for the establishment of an “Arab-International Digital Economy Charter,” based on three main axes: establishing a joint Arab-international digital economy fund, developing a unified regulatory environment that promotes cross-border digital cooperation and investment, and launching regional centers for innovation and digital talent development in the Arab world.

This came in a keynote speech at the China Investment Forum, part of the AIM Investment Summit, which kicked off yesterday in Abu Dhabi. He addressed the importance of Arab, regional, and international partnerships to achieve digital sovereignty in the Arab region.

During his speech, Dr. Al-Khouri addressed the profound transformations taking place in the global economy, noting that measures of international power and influence are no longer based solely on geographical borders or commercial activity, but are now measured by countries’ digital infrastructure, their ability to develop technology, and their ability to leverage it to build an advanced knowledge economy.

He pointed out that despite progress in internet connectivity, the Arab world still faces significant challenges in digital infrastructure. Arab countries host less than 2% of the world’s data centers, a strategic gap that must be addressed.

He emphasized that Arab countries are now facing a reality that requires reshaping their position in the global digital order, not only through modernizing infrastructure, but also by entering into regional and international partnerships that contribute to empowering them with modern digital sovereignty tools.

In this context, he explained that the Arab Federation for Digital Economy places at the heart of its priorities the building of strategic partnerships with institutions and countries with aligned visions, with the aim of accelerating the pace of digital transformation in the Arab region and supporting national economies with advanced and sustainable means.

Dr. Al-Khouri emphasized that the partnership with China, through the “Digital Belt and Road” initiative, represents a strategic opportunity to enhance Arab digital capabilities. He noted that this partnership has begun to bear fruit in tangible projects, such as the development of artificial intelligence in Arabic in Riyadh in cooperation with Huawei, the transformation of the Suez Canal Zone in Cairo into a semiconductor production center with the support of Chinese investments, and the expansion of global technology companies in Casablanca in the fields of research and development.

It’s worth noting that the China Investment Forum is being held as part of the annual AIM 2025 investment summit, held in Abu Dhabi with the wide participation of government leaders, investors, and experts from around the world. This year’s forum coincides with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Arab Emirates and the People’s Republic of China, and aims to highlight opportunities for economic and investment cooperation between China and other countries, especially in light of the rapid changes taking place in the global economy.