(Yicai) Nov. 9 -- Companies from the United Arab Emirates participating in the ninth China International Import Expo have brought Middle Eastern camel milk and a range of high-tech products to consumers, including a lunar rover making its country debut.

Chinese consumers showed strong interest in the specialty camel milk at the UAE national pavilion during the six-day CIIE, which ends tomorrow. Hassan Safi, chief executive officer of the country's first dairy company Al Ain Farms Group, told Yicai that the firm is accelerating its expansion into overseas markets, with China as an important focus.

The CIIE is not only a platform to show products, but also a window into Chinese consumers' needs, a place to find distribution partners, and an opportunity to further expand sales channels, Safi stressed. Camel milk has strong growth potential in China, mainly because local consumers are fairly aware of it, especially in the northwest, and also place great importance on its unique nutritional value, as it contains relatively high levels of vitamin C and iron, he added.

Al Ain Farms began producing camel milk in 2001, mainly selling its products in the UAE market. However, it launched its camel milk brand Camelait last month as it accelerates global expansion.

The Khalifa University lunar rover on display at the Sindan booth, a UAE artificial intelligence-driven manufacturer, is a wheel-leg mobile robot for planetary terrain exploration, capable of moving in complex environments, a staff member told Yicai. It can also be deployed in specialized terrestrial environments, such as inspection, patrol, and search-and-rescue operations in wild and mining settings, they noted.

In addition to products, UAE companies have also shown willingness to find Chinese counterparts to develop new technologies during the CIIE.

Sindan aims to use the CIIE to ally with Chinese smart manufacturers and promote local assembly and the localized operation and deployment of Chinese robots in the UAE, the staffer pointed out.

China-UAE Tech Cooperation

The Masdar City Free Zone has established offices in Suzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen over the past 12 months, while more than 15 Chinese companies have settled in the area, Hamza Abu Elgasim, strategic and growth director of the special economic zone in Abu Dhabi, said to Yicai.

The Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are important economic hubs in China, with strong capabilities in high-tech manufacturing and exports, he noted, adding that this is why Masdar City Free Zone picked Suzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen as its first locations.

The Masdar City Free Zone is not pursuing indiscriminate, large-scale expansion, but it chooses regions that closely match its own industrial strengths, Elgasim said. The Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area can cover most of the zone's core sectors, he said.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev