Abu Dhabi solidifies position as a global hub for sustainable growth

ABU DHABI: Masdar City Free Zone (MCFZ) has expanded its international footprint with the opening of its first representative office in China, a bold step that reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for innovation and sustainable economic growth.

In collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), this milestone was marked by the signing of key strategic landmark Memorandums of Understanding during a high-profile roadshow in Suzhou and Beijing, strengthening economic, technological, and sustainability ties between the UAE and China, and supporting the UAE’s Falcon Economy vision.

Home to over 2,000 companies from more than 90 countries, Masdar City Free Zone is a recognised business hub in Abu Dhabi, focused on sustainable growth, clean technology, and a testbed for innovation, across high-impact sectors including artificial intelligence, clean technology, life sciences, smart mobility, agritech, and space technology.

The expansion into China builds on Masdar City’s mission to attract Foreign Direct Investment, accelerate technology transfer, and create new opportunities for collaboration between two of the world’s leading centres of innovation.

The Masdar City Free Zone China representative office inauguration in Suzhou Industrial Park was the centerpiece of a week-long UAE-China business roadshow, jointly organised with A&A Associates and supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.

The roadshow brought together Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies, government officials, investors, and industry leaders in AI, biotech, robotics, and sustainable mobility.

During the roadshow, Masdar City Free Zone signed several strategic memorandums of understanding forming the foundation of its expansion in China.

Masdar City will collaborate with Suzhou Industrial Park, one of China’s most advanced industrial and innovation hubs, to promote investment, trade and innovation with a focus on technology, renewable energy and sustainable development. The agreement establishes direct institutional links between two leading free zones and creates new opportunities for knowledge exchange and business facilitation.

Suzhou Yingdi Consultants will manage Masdar City’s new representative office in Suzhou Industrial Park, promoting the Free Zone to Chinese businesses and supporting their establishment in Abu Dhabi. This operational partnership ensures that companies entering the UAE market benefit from Masdar City’s integrated ecosystem, advanced infrastructure and sustainability-first governance from the outset.

Beijing Zhongguancun Science City Innovation Development, a leading high-tech ecosystem in Beijing, will work with Masdar City to develop tailored business packages for Chinese startups, streamline business setup in the UAE and support entrepreneurship, networking and joint marketing.

This collaboration links Masdar City’s innovation clusters with Beijing’s dynamic technology community, enabling cross-border partnerships in AI, biotechnology, clean technology and smart city innovation, with a long-term vision to create globally scalable models for sustainable urban development.

Together, these agreements position Masdar City Free Zone as a gateway for Chinese innovation into the Middle East, while offering UAE-based companies’ access to China’s dynamic technology and industrial hubs. They also reinforce Masdar City’s role in advancing national priorities by driving sustainable economic diversification and measurable environmental impact.

"Masdar City’s expansion into China marks a new chapter in our mission to connect global innovation ecosystems and strengthen the bridge between Abu Dhabi and the world’s leading technology hubs. By partnering with leading Chinese institutions, we are creating pathways for technology exchange, investment, and sustainable growth that deliver measurable benefits to both nations," said Dr. Mohamed Al Breiki, Executive Director, Free Zone and Sustainable Development, Masdar City.

"This is a tangible step towards advancing the UAE’s Falcon Economy vision."

Meanwhile AD Ports Group, a global enabler of integrated trade, transport, industry, and logistics solutions, and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), a global clean energy leader, have signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on the development and delivery of offshore wind projects.

Under the agreement, the companies will identify opportunities where AD Ports Group can serve as a key partner and contractor for Masdar global offshore wind initiatives.

The parties will jointly determine technical requirements for Masdar projects and identify where AD Ports Group can deploy its extensive technical and logistical capabilities, including the provision and fabrication of substations, onshore and offshore logistics solutions, subsea services, and maintenance and operations support, to meet project needs effectively and with cost efficiencies.

Captain Ammar Al Shaiba, CEO of Maritime & Shipping Cluster, AD Ports Group, said: “Utilising AD Ports Group’s integrated maritime and logistics capabilities, and years of experience in complex projects, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the technical solutions and operational excellence required for Masdar’s large-scale offshore wind projects. Leveraging our combined strengths, we have an opportunity to accelerate the deployment of sustainable, innovative, and technologically advanced offshore wind solutions.” Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “Masdar is a global leader in offshore wind, and we are committed to driving development in a sector that is critical to clean energy transformation. Through partnerships like this agreement with AD Ports Group, we can expand our reach and deliver impact at greater scale, helping countries around the world to achieve their clean energy objectives. We look forward to working closely with AD Ports Group to leverage our combined expertise and experience to help meet growing clean energy needs.” Offshore wind is a vital pillar of the global energy transformation, with turbines located in the ocean able to harness stronger and more consistent winds to deliver reliable high energy yields. Masdar has developed and is operating several landmark offshore wind projects in Europe, including the 476-megawatt (MW) Baltic Eagle project in Germany and the 1.4-gigawatt (GW) East Anglia THREE project in the UK, demonstrating the viability and scalability of this technology.

The collaboration between AD Ports Group and Masdar is aligned with the UAE’s national vision for economic diversification and sustainable development. By harnessing advanced maritime infrastructure, integrated logistics networks, and technical expertise, the partnership aims to set a new benchmark for offshore wind deployment.

Meanwhile Masdar and Tadweer Group last week signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to progress the development of the first commercial-scale Waste-to-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) project in Abu Dhabi.

Located in Abu Dhabi, the plant will convert around 500,000 tonnes of waste into SAF per year, using a hybrid production pathway that combines renewable energy-powered electrolysis to produce green hydrogen and waste gasification turning syngas into SAF through various proven chemical processes.

“Masdar is committed to accelerating the global energy transformation through partnerships and delivering innovative solutions that meet customer needs,” said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer at Masdar.

He added that this project will advance the UAE’s leadership in sustainable aviation, supporting the growth of a sector critical to the nation’s economic development, while driving its decarbonisation.