Dubai electronics trade hits Dh134.5B
dubai — Dubai has seen a significant jump in its electronics and information technology trade in the first half of this year.
Official records show that the emirate’s electronics trade amounts to Dh134.5 billion in the first six months of 2017. These spanned Dh86.8 billion for imports against Dh47.7 billion for exports and re-exports.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, DP World group chairman and CEO and chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said Dubai plays a pivotal role in sustaining and developing the information technology sector.
“Dubai has succeeded in keeping abreast with the technology sector and implementing advanced technologies to sustain and support economic development in line with the directives of the prudent leadership,” he said.
Among the most advanced applications and services adopted are Mirsal-2, the electronic declaration system integrated into Dubai Trade’s unified portal, and the Smart Risk Engine, which reveals suspected goods and counterfeit products, he explained.
“The Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority provides advanced logistic services, including ‘LogiGate Transport’ and ‘LogiGate Warehousing’ to manage land transportation and warehousing bookings; both accessible online and on smartphones.”
Bin Sulayem said China topped the list of Dubai trade partners with Dh53.3 billion in imports, followed by Vietnam (Dh14.4 billion), the US (Dh2.3 billion), South Korea (Dh2.14 billion) and Japan (Dh1.64 billion). As for exports and re-exports, Saudi Arabia topped the list hitting Dh9.5 billion, followed by Iraq (Dh3.86 billion), Kuwait (Dh2.7 billion), Egypt (Dh2.22 billion) and the US (Dh1.4 billion).
Dubai’s serious steps and the initiatives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to turn into the smartest city in the world have helped it enhance its status in the international trade, he underlined. The value of Dubai trade in mobile phones reached Dh75.9 billion, with laptops at Dh11 billion and desktops at Dh2.3 billion.
Bin Sulayem expected more momentum and huge growth in the information technology sectors in the few coming years taken into account the big projects Dubai embarking on in preparation for the next Expo 2020 Dubai. “These will include development of new cities and tourism and business facilities.”