Etihad Aviation Group and Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Cooperation and Investment Company (JOCIC) have signed a deal to support the development of logistics between China and the United Arab Emirates.
The parties will cooperate on a wide range of areas to support the development of the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park in Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi including air logistics, procurement, mutual promotion on respective premises and digital channels.
Under the memorandum of understanding, which was signed during Chinese premier Xi Jinping’s three-day state visit to the United Arab Emirates, Etihad will provide the companies investing in the China-UAE Industrial Park with preferred air transportation and cargo rates on the routes and services between China and other cities on Etihad Airways network.
Etihad and JOCIC will jointly explore marketing opportunities through appropriate channels, promoting Abu Dhabi’s investment environment for Chinese companies and its geographic location supporting China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer, Tony Douglas says: “The partnership will demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Etihad, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, to acting as a bridge for economic and cultural exchanges between the UAE and China, as well as to strengthen the position of Abu Dhabi as an aviation hub to connect China with the economies along the Belt & Road Initiative by leveraging our strong global network.”
JOCIC chairman, Luo Hua adds: “The China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park is a major project under the Belt and Road Initiative. It represents an important consensus reached by the leadership of China and the UAE to strengthen international industrial capacity cooperation between the two countries.”
Established in July 2017 with a 50 year agreement signed between Abu Dhabi Ports and JOCIC, the China-UAE Industrial Park has achieved investments agreements with 16 Chinese companies totalling $1 billion.
The Chinese companies investing in the industrial park come from various sectors including new energy sources, aluminium processing, machinery manufacturing, trade and logistics, metallurgy, building materials, chemicals, packaging, and food and beverages.
