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Six-day learning journey will provide 20 representatives of top China businessschool valuable insights into the city's diverse and growing economy
UAE - A delegation of more than 20 Chinese business leaders is in Dubai to learn about the city's meteoric rise from fishing village to global hub for trade, transport, logistics and finance, and how it is perfectly positioned to play a key role in China's Belt and Road initiative.
The group - current and former students of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), a world-class institution whose graduates head up 20% of China's most valuable brands - is taking part in a six-day learning journey facilitated by Falcon and Associates to discover more about the unprecedented opportunities Dubai presents China across business, tourism, culture and lifestyle.
The programme kicked off with a discover Dubai tour, taking in the BurjKhalifa, Burj Al Arab and Dubai Creek, while classroom sessions - delivered in partnership with world-class institutions Écolepolytechniquefédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), INSEAD and Capadev- focus on Dubai's economic development, as well as its Smart Government initiatives.
Other highlights include site visits to Emirates, which operates 70 weekly flights between five destinations in China; Jafza, which is home to 230 Chinese companies; and Jumeirah Group, which has one property in China and a further eight in the pipeline.
"We're delighted to be hostingsuch influential business leaders from China and for them to learn about Dubai through their own experiences," said James Maughan, Director of Dubai Business Internships, Falcon and Associates. "Building on the success of Dubai Business Internships, which offers outstanding Chinese graduates the opportunity to study and do global business in Dubai,we recognised there was also demand for a programmetailored for the established leaders of today.
"There is a real appetite in China to learn about the emirate,and we hope the site visits to Dubai's leading entities, classroom sessions and high-level meetingswill leave a lasting impression and a deeper understanding of the opportunities that exist, as well as insights into how the city is being shaped by the pioneering spirit and visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai."
Dubai is the latest destination in CKGSB's "Global Insights" overseas learning programme, which has featured partnerships with leading institutions, such as Yale, Stanford, INSEAD and the Harvard Kennedy School. These trips, tailored for China's leading business executives, aim to provideunparalleled knowledge, insights and peer networks in countries which strive to maintain strategic partnerships with China.
"Dubai is a fascinating city, a place of great intrigue for Chinese," said Li Wei, Professor of Economics and Director of China Economy and Sustainable Development Research Centre, CKGSB. "It was surprising to learn Chinese expatriates make up around 10% of Dubai's population, while many of us were not fully aware of how deep and strong the China-Dubai relationship already is. We are curious about the potential in Dubai and delighted to have this chance learn about its economy and explore opportunities.
"It is also particularly pleasing to see how Dubai is contributing to our next generation of business leaders through its Dubai Business Internships programme, while we were enchanted by the warmth of Emirati hospitality and rich Bedouin culture and heritage."
Other site visits include Emaar, Masdar Cityand Dubai Chamber, which 3000 Chinese businesses are members of, while trips to other cultural highlights of the UAE, such as the desert and the Grand Mosque, arealso scheduled.
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China-Dubai Fast Facts
• China-UAE trade reached $54.8bn in 2014, an 18.5% increase on the previous year. Almost 60% of the trade between China and the UAE is re-exported to Africa and Europe
• China became Dubai's number one trading partner in 2014 after a 29% increase to $47.6bn moved it above India for the first time since 2004.
• Over 4,200 Chinese firms are operating in the UAE, up from 18 in 2005, while over 3000 companies have Dubai Chamber membership.
• Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is home to China's four biggest banks - the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank and the Agricultural Bank of China
• More than 200,000 Chinese expatriates live in Dubai, accounting for about 10% of its population.
• In 2014, Dubai welcomed 344,000 Chinese tourists, an increase of 25% on the previous year.
• Ten Chinese cities - Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shanghai, Urumqi, Wuhan (from November 2015) and Yinchuan, as well as Hong Kong and Taipei - are connected to Dubai with more than 100 weekly flights
• Jumeirah's Himalayas Hotel Shanghai opened in 2011. It has eight more properties in the pipeline - in Haikou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Sanya and Qiandaohu, as well as two in Guangzhou
• Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) is home to more than 230 Chinese companies, including China National Petroleum Corporation Middle East, China Railway Engineering Middle East and Haier
• Emirates has 35 weekly flights to mainland China, serving Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and 28 to Hong Kong and seven to Taiwan. In 2014/15, it carried 1.3m passengers between Dubai and China, connecting them to 140+ destinations, including 70+ in Africa, Europe and the Middle East (74% of which are not served by Chinese carriers)
• Dubai is home to Dragon Mart, the largest Chinese trading centre outside of China. It welcomes 65,000 visitors every day and of its 3000 shops, 1700 are run by Chinese retailers
Examples of Falcon's China-related work include:
· The Chinese National Table Tennis Team:Dubai is an official sponsor of the Chinese National Table Tennis Team, an agreement facilitated by Falcon that will continue through to 2017.
· 2015 Dubai Week in China: Staged inBeijing the event celebrated Dubai's thriving relationship with China and the unprecedented opportunities it presents across business, tourism, culture and lifestyle. Initiated by Falcon, it provided 15,000 visitors the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the emirate.
· 2014 Boao Forum for Asia Financial Cooperation Conference: The Government of Dubai hosted event focused on driving the integration of Asian countries into the global economy. The conference - facilitated by Falcon - was attended by China's former Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, as well as 350 high-ranking government officials, global finance leaders and academics.
· Dubai Business Internships: A 10-month programme offering an unrivalled opportunity for outstanding Chinese graduates to study and do global business in Dubai which includes a placement at one of the city's most dynamic and innovative entities.
· Vision: Published by Falcon, the bi-annual print magazine and supporting website, www.visiondubai.cn, offer fresh perspectives, tailored for Chinese readers, on business, life and culture from Dubai.
To learn more about Falcon, visit www.falconandassociates.ae/cn.
About Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB)
As a world-class business school from China, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) aims to develop current and future leaders with a global vision, a humanitarian spirit and an innovative mind-set. Established in Beijing in November 2002 with generous support from the Li KaShing Foundation, CKGSB is China's first faculty-governed, non-profit, independent business school.More than half of the 8000 CKGSB alumni are at the CEO or Chairman level and, collectively, lead one-fifth of China's most valuable brands. Together, their companies shape over $1 trillion in annual revenue, demonstrating the school's impact and influence.
About Falcon and Associates
Falcon and Associates FZ-LLC is a strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership to enhance the emirate's position as a global hub, with a strong focus on China. Falcon partners with government and private entities to build on Dubai's many successes to date, helping it fulfil its long-term potential.
For more information, please contact:
Tameem Alkintar
ASDA'A Burson - Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Email: Tameem.alkintar@bm.com
Scott Melrose
Falcon and Associates
Email: scott.melrose@falconandassociates.ae
Tel: +971 (0) 4 383 3500
© Press Release 2015
