"Opportunities and Challenges for the UAE’s Chinese Expatriate Community in a New Era" 5 May 2022

As one of the first Gulf Arab states to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing, the United Arab Emirates has maintained an amicable relationship with the People’s Republic of China since 1984. Already a trading hub in the region, Dubai emerged as the regional base for Chinese state-owned enterprises after the first Gulf War. Since the launch of the “Going-Out” strategy in 1999 to promote Chinese investments abroad, some 4,000 Chinese companies have been established in the UAE fueling an economic surge in the region. [...]

The most delicate challenge is the unprecedented influx of transnational online gambling operations from Southeast Asia to Dubai during the coronavirus pandemic. This has largely been a result of China using its geopolitical influence to crack down on the illegal betting and gambling industry in Southeast Asia. Reporting from Radio Free Asia found that, under the guise of online gaming, e-commerce, or software development companies, these immensely profitable businesses have managed to register legally in Dubai often under prominent Emirati sponsors. Since mid-2020, these transnational cybercrime networks have brought over 100,000 Chinese recruits on tourist visas to Dubai from Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam, and mainland China to operate offshore gaming and gambling platforms. These nouveau riches have flooded the local market by making cash payments for luxurious commodities and prime real estate. They are also responsible for significant price hikes at grocery stores, hair salons, and restaurants and for apartment rentals. Operating with a high level of secrecy and using suspect recruitment methods, these businesses have come under the radar of the Chinese diplomatic missions in the UAE and Emirati authorities. The stringent safety measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis associated with these underground operations. [...]