Dubai: UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox, has backed the Opportunity district as the location for the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
About 5,000 UK businesses operate in the UAE and more than 100,000 British nationals live in the country, Expo 2020 Dubai said in an emailed statement on Thursday. The UAE is the UK’s 12th largest trading partner, reaching Dh63 billion in bilateral trade in 2015. The UAE-UK Business Council has agreed an ambitious target of £25 billion (Dh122 billion) of bilateral trade by 2020.
“Britain was one of the countries that first supported the efforts of the UAE for the honour of hosting Expo 2020 Dubai. We are grateful for their continuous backing that was stressed today by Dr Liam Fox. We look forward to more connection with the British institutions and companies that will join us in the journey to 2020 and beyond,” stated Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and CEO of Emirates airline and Group, in his capacity as Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee.
British architects and construction firms, including Anglo-Emirati joint venture Al-Futtaim Carillion and architectural company Foster + Partners, are involved in the design and building of some of the pavilions and districts on the Expo site.
Connecting with nations
Following a briefing on the progress of the Expo and its plans for legacy development through District 2020, announced at Cityscape last month, Fox said, “We are excited about the incredible opportunities that Expo 2020 Dubai will open, and already is opening, for the outward-looking ‘Global Britain’ we are.
“Britain aims to be a leading advocate for free trade across the world and we look forward to developing this goal by connecting with nations, multilateral organisations and corporations in one of the most exciting locations on earth and the crossroads of East and West.”
Expo, which will open on October 20, 2020, is projected to attract 25 million visits, with 70 per cent expected to come from outside the UAE — the largest proportion of international visitors in the 166-year history of World Expos. More than 200 countries, companies, NGOs and educational institutions are also expected to participate.
