Gargash Prime announced it will develop a 2.5 million square feet logistics facility in Dubai Industrial City with Chinese investment firm Jingdong Property (JD Property), aimed at supporting local and regional supply chain needs.
The Dubai-based holding company will invest over Dh500 million for the development, although the cost has not yet been fully determined, its Managing Director and Group CEO, Shehab Gargash, said.
The two companies signed the agreement on the sidelines of the Dubai Business Forum, an event organised by Dubai Chambers that took place in Shenzhen, China and which saw the largest business delegation outside the country.
“This project is considered a completion of the infrastructure in the UAE and not an alternative to the existing infrastructures,” Gargash told reporters after the signing.
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He explained that the project will be developed over two phases, with a possibility of expanding into a third phase. Construction will begin in 2027, taking around 18 months of completion for the initial phase. The facility is envisioned as a regional distribution and fulfilment hub to support supply chain needs domestically and throughout the region.
JD Property, the investment arm of the Chinese multinational tech company JD.com, manages more than 300 infrastructure assets globally, with over $16 billion (Dh58.7 billion) in assets under management.
“We would like to leverage this facility to help other customers who have interest in investing and expanding in the Middle East, especially those that plug into either of our two systems. They may be independent, but they connect with the ecosystem that we have,” Carl Chen said, JINGDONG Property’s CEO, said.
China a key trading partner
China is Dubai’s largest global trading partner, while Dubai Chambers’ largest office network in any single country is in China, with four offices throughout Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
Non-oil trade between Dubai and China jumped 118.4 per cent from Dh166.4 billion in 2016 to Dh363.5 billion in 2025. Between 2024 and 2025, it increased by almost 23 per cent, Sultan Al Mansoori, CEO of Dubai Chambers, during his opening speech at the forum.
Chinese foreign direct investments into Dubai almost tripled between 2024 and 2025, rising Dh1.2 billion to more than Dh3.4 billion. The emirate also welcomed 300 Chinese FDI projects over a nine-year period, bringing in a total of 6.7 billion in capital.
Source: Khaleej Times