Largest trading hub for Chinese products and services in the Middle East Opens

H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Economy and Planning today inaugurated Dragon Mart, the largest trading hub for products from China outside the Chinese mainland, developed by Nakheel, a premier property developer in the region, at its International City in the Al Warsan area of Dubai.

The inauguration of the dragon shaped structure took place in the presence of H.E. Wei Jian Guo, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Yang Weiguo, Consul General of China to the UAE; Hao Feng, Chairman, Chinamex; Zhao Chuang, Deputy Director General of the Department of Foreign Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China; H.E. Zong Manying, Deputy Director General of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs, Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Nakheel and other key senior Chinamex and Nakheel Executives; dignitaries and special invitees and hundreds of media personnel from across the region.

Dragon Mart, jointly promoted by Nakheel and Chinamex Middle East Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, is the largest of its kind development in the world assembling the most exhaustive collection of Chinese products and services under one roof and will play host to Chinese businesses or businesses associated with products and services from China, including joint venture companies and companies operating from China through the Chinamex Middle East Investment and Trade Promotion Centre.

Commenting on the inauguration, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Nakheel said: "Chinese products and services have now become an indelible part of international trade and commerce, synonymous with quality and the value for money they offer. Dubai has a long-standing trade relationship with China, and Dragon Mart is a strategic step taken in the direction of cementing these relations. Nakheel, through developing Dragon Mart has demonstrated its resourcefulness in identifying and catering to the expanding needs of Dubai, and that of the region, in offering this unique platform, from which Chinese traders and manufacturers can offer their products and services to the lucrative Middle East markets."

The highlight of the inaugural ceremony was a spectacular 30-minute cultural show put on by Chinese artistes and entertainers, especially flown in from China to entertain the invitees. The 155 member strong delegation, enthralled audiences with Dragon Dances and other ethnic Chinese art forms in opera and martial arts. The drummers in the group treated the audiences to a rare drum recital, with the show culminating in an ensemble of 30 models dressed up in traditional costumes, designed by Pierre Cardin, of the 30 dynasties that ruled over imperial China.

"The Dragon Mart is a celebration of Chinese culture and heritage, which is among the most sophisticated in the world," continued Bin Sulayem. "The mart is but a part of the full repertoire of China related developments in the International City, that includes the construction of the Forbidden City and the residential quarter bearing the China theme, which is fast approaching completion."

The mart is 1.2 km long with the dragon body measuring 980 meters in length, 110 metres in width and 6.4 metres in height. The two-storeyed Dragonhead is 220 metres long, 210 metres wide and 18 metres high. The Dragonhead will host a full-fledged Chinese Garden on the ground level and an ornamental fountain designed by Chinamex donning the entrance to the mart. The project is spread over an area of 150,000 square meters in addition to 30,000 square meters of warehouses and divided into several commercial and service areas, an office area and a business centre. The interior of the mart host vast exhibition spaces that are spread across the entire length of the development. The development will also host food courts with Chinese restaurants and other Chinese heritage, tourism and cultural attractions.

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