Sheikh Maktoum meets UK’s Economic Secretary to the Treasury

Dubai: Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, today met with Andrew Griffith, UK’s Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

The meeting, held at the Dubai International Financial Centre, reviewed commercial and trade partnerships between the UAE and the UK in a wide range of sectors and discussed new opportunities to build on the two countries’ deep historical economic ties. Sheikh Maktoum said the UAE is keen to promote global economic cooperation to raise sustainable economic growth and navigate worldwide challenges. Strong economic ties are critical to strengthen global supply chains and create a more integrated international economic ecosystem, he said.

The UAE continues to explore economic complementarities and synergies with the UK that can open fresh growth avenues. While continuing to strengthen ties in established industries, He said that the UAE is committed to pursuing new mutual opportunities to drive innovation in future-oriented sectors. The meeting examined prospects for greater cooperation and knowledge exchange in fintech, renewable energy, space industry, software, e-commerce, logistics, the green and circular economy and agricultural technology.

Sheikh Maktoum said that as a pivotal global commercial and trading hub, Dubai continues to serve as a catalyst for the growth of UK-UAE economic ties. Dubai’s strategic initiatives to foster innovation, enterprise and talent offer significant new growth and investment opportunities for the UK business community. He noted that the UK continues to be one of Dubai’s largest trading partners and a key destination for the emirate’s foreign investments.

Non-oil trade between the UAE and the UK amounted to nearly Dh37 billion in 2022, up 26 per cent from 2021. The UK is the UAE’s fourth largest European trading partner as of 2022 while the UAE is the UK’s number one Arab trade partner. The UAE accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the UK’s total trade with Arab countries. The UK is also one of the top source countries for FDI capital inflows into Dubai, which in 2022 retained its No. 1 spot globally for attracting Greenfield FDI projects.