• The Minister met with funds and institutions that manage assets for more than US$320 billion.

On his final day in the United Arab Emirates, Economy, Development and Tourism Minister Nicolás Grau had a full business agenda in Dubai focused on investment promotion as part of the second stop in President Gabriel Boric’s tour to the Middle East.

Earlier in the day, Minister Grau joined the official delegation led by the President in a visit to Jebel Ali, the largest and busiest man-made port in the Middle East and the ninth busiest port in the world. On the occasion, the authorities met with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the president of the group and CEO of DP World, a company with investments in ports in the Valparaíso and Biobío regions.

The delegation went on to participate in the Dubai-Chile Business Forum at the city’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an event focused on attracting investment from Emirati companies in sectors such as mining, renewable energy, port infrastructure and the food industry. President Boric was the keynote speaker at this event, which was also attended by the CEO of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Mohammad Lootah, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the organization, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. Also in attendance was the entire business and official delegation, including the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alberto van Klaveren; the Public Works Minister, Jessica López; the Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Minister, Aisén Etcheverry; the International Economic Relations Undersecretary, Claudia Sanhueza; and the ProChile Director, Ignacio Fernández.

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a key organization in the economic and commercial development of the UAE, with more than 230,000 local member companies.

Bilateral agenda

In the afternoon, in conjunction with the Public Works Minister, Jessica López, the Executive Director of ACERA, Ana Lía Rojas, and the Head of InvestChile’s Investment Promotion Division, Salvatore Di Giovanni, Minister Grau held meetings with representatives of the Dubai Investment Fund (DIF)—one of the most important investment funds in the world, with assets of more than US$320 billion—and executives of the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD). Participants in these meetings discussed the intention of both organizations to deepen the opportunities that Chile offers in sectors such as infrastructure, tourism, energy and food.

Finally, the Minister met with the Investment Undersecretary of the United Arab Emirates to discuss the possibility of a closer collaboration, with a view to exploring how the business possibilities of the Chilean economy coincide with the internationalization projects of Dubai companies in their expansion throughout Latin America.

Minister Grau noted that “this is the first time that a Chilean president has visited the United Arab Emirates, along with a diverse political and business delegation, to strengthen collaboration and understanding of the business environment and encourage trade and investment. The objective of the various meetings with companies and institutions was to understand the UAE’s strategy for investing in other countries and its interests regarding the opportunities that Chile offers,” he commented.