On 25 February, 2025, the Dubai High-level Delegation, consisting of 30 leadership representatives from 14 government departments and agencies, visited the Urban Planning and Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS). The Delegation, organized by the Dubai Executive Office in collaboration with Dubai Chambers, was led by Mr. Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation.

During the meeting, UPDIS presented an in-depth overview of the development concepts and planning history of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone over the past 40 years. It also shared experience in transport planning, sponge city development, and the application of smart city technologies. Both sides exchanged views in urban spatial governance, master planning development and implementation, innovation incubation, and talent attraction, where housing and transport management policies were also discussed extensively.

 

Ms. Yu Lu, President of UPDIS, highlighted that both Shenzhen and Dubai are young cities that have transformed into emerging global cities within a short span of just over 40 years. She emphasized that both cities have many areas in common, where they can learn from each other in fields such as industries, technology, and urban development, offering vast potential for mutual collaboration. Mr. Khalfan Belhoul remarked that Dubai is keenly interested in Shenzhen's urban development and its continued exchanges and cooperation would help both cities share knowledge and experiences in urban planning, sustainable development, and the application of new technologies.

 

This visit marked an important stop in the Dubai Delegation's four-day trip to Shenzhen, which is aimed at learning from Shenzhen's experience and innovative practices from relevant agencies in the areas like technology, digital economy, urban planning, sustainability and energy. The trip is also intended to strengthen cooperation between Dubai and Shenzhen, explore opportunities for technological exchanges, bilateral trade and investment, as well as enhancing the global competitiveness of both cities.