The United Arab Emirates has asserted that open, rules-based trade is vital to sustainable development, while unveiling strategic moves to strengthen its global trade footprint at the G20 Trade & Investment Ministerial Meeting in Gqeberha, South Africa.
At the opening sessions, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, emphasised that trade frameworks anchored in transparency and fairness are the cornerstone for inclusive growth and resilience. He urged member nations to modernise supply chains, deepen cooperation across institutions, and ensure equitable access to global markets.
Al Zeyoudi pointed to the UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements as a model for harnessing trade to drive investment in sectors like clean energy, digital infrastructure, and health systems. He cited the UAE’s CEPA deals with India, Australia, Türkiye and New Zealand as benchmarks that facilitate cross-border collaboration and sustainable development. Since launching the CEPAs initiative in 2021, the UAE has finalised 31 trade deals covering diverse geographies and economies.
Data presented at the ministerial underscores the UAE’s surging trade momentum. In the first half of 2025, the UAE’s non-oil trade with G20 members exceeded US$231 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of 19.2 %. Within the same span, UAE’s non-oil foreign trade overall topped US$816.9 billion in 2024—14.6 % above the previous year—outpacing global trade expansion.
India emerged as a standout partner, with non-oil trade between the UAE and India rising 34 % in the first half of 2025. Total two-way merchandise trade exceeded US$83.7 billion in the fiscal year 2023–24, positioning the pair to break the US$100 billion barrier in annual trade long term. The UAE–Türkiye CEPA has also accelerated trade flows: bilateral non-oil trade in the 12 months through August 2025 reached around US$44 billion.
On the African front, the UAE has launched CEPA negotiations with at least ten nations, several of which have already concluded deals. Al Zeyoudi described this push as a mechanism to boost regional value chains and deepen integration across the Global South.
Alongside trade diplomacy, the UAE spotlighted its role in global investment in sustainable development. Al Zeyoudi noted commitments exceeding US$16.8 billion in renewable energy projects across 70 countries, reinforcing the country’s image as a development-oriented investment hub.
On the sidelines, the UAE delegation held high-level meetings with key trade and economic stakeholders. Al Zeyoudi met WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss trade governance challenges, and held bilateral talks with trade ministers from South Korea, Japan, Canada, Indonesia and others. He also conferred with the EU’s Trade Commissioner, underlining the UAE’s multi-faceted engagement across regions.
Delegates at the ministerial are deliberating reforms to strengthen the multilateral trade system, tackle supply-chain fragility, augment digital trade rules and harmonise trade practices to support development goals. Countries agreed that trade must be inclusive and responsive to challenges such as climate change, technological disruption and geopolitical fragmentation.
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