By Wu Siya

 

ABU DHABI, Nov. 7 (China Economic Net)- With a long whistle blowing, the Xin Haikou container ship coming from Yangpu Port in Hainan, China, slowly berthed at the COSCO Shipping Abu Dhabi Terminal in Khalifa Port, with piles of heavy containers were transported to the yard for stacking. 

 

But out of the ordinary, the truck towing the container at a constant speed does not have the common windshield, and the driver cannot be seen. There is only a bar display screen showing the driving status.

 

"It is our unmanned container truck." The General Manager of COSCO Shipping Abu Dhabi Terminal told the reporter that it uses satellite navigation and laser radar to detect surrounding conditions. After a single charge, the truck could run continuously for up to 24 hours with a maximum load of 80 tons. Currently, there are 7 unmanned trucks and more than 60 manned trucks at the terminal.

 

Majid, a dock staff from Abu Dhabi, is checking the working status of the automated rail crane at the yard through two joysticks similar to game controllers. "The loading and unloading of containers are all done automatically by our equipment. I just need to confirm that the operation is correct through our monitoring system."

 

By now, Abu Dhabi Terminal has established ten digital and automation projects, including terminal operation system, intelligent tally system for quay cranes, yard equipment control system, and vehicle-mounted work instruction terminal system. Mohammed Tamimi, Deputy General Manager of the terminal, introduced, "As the collaboration between China and the UAE in building the Belt and Road Initiative continues to deepen, the digitalization of the terminal will continue to improve, thus become a truly world-class digital port."

 

Official data shows that the UAE has become an active innovator in the fields of science and technology and AI, committed to creating an environment that supports digitalization, whereby digital collaboration between Chinese and UAE companies is adding a new chapter to the modern Silk Road. WeRide, headquartered in the southern Chinese metropolis Guangzhou, has achieved commercial operation of taxis on public roads in Abu Dhabi by cooperating with local platforms. So far, WeRide's self-driving Robotaxi has been operating in the local area for nearly three years, completing more than 20,000 orders, as well as Robobus (self-driving minibus) has also landed here.

 

In the field of e-commerce, the cooperation between China and the UAE has also brought fruitful results. As early as January 2022, the Chinese logistics provider Jitu Express's operating network in the UAE officially opened for business. "Since entering the Dubai market, our business volume has grown steadily, with an annual growth rate of 25%. At present, our network has been able to cover the entire Middle East," Jiang Jun, Vice President of Jitu Middle East, told. As of 2023, its employee size in Dubai has rapidly expanded from only 5 in 2021 to 750, and the size of the express delivery fleet has reached 500 vehicles. In addition to its main distribution center in Dubai, sub-centers have also been established in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

 

"It is explicit that for Jitu Express, choosing Dubai as a regional hub to expand its business in the Middle East is a great deal. Meanwhile, the digital and e-commerce economy in Dubai and the entire UAE has been efficiently developed," said Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chamber. "Dubai has always been committed to actively seeking out and attracting innovative companies in the digital field. We are so pleased to see that Jitu has achieved such outstanding results here with our help."

 

 

According to a report released by the Dubai Digital Economy Chamber, the current digital economy of the UAE has exceeded USD 38 billion and is expected to exceed USD 140 billion by 2031. Not only that, the proportion of the UAE's digital economy in GDP is also increasing year by year, and is expected to reach 13.4% by 2030.

 

"Dubai is positioning itself to become one of the global hubs for Internet 3.0 technologies, including the Metaverse and blockchain. Currently, China and the UAE are in a high-level comprehensive strategic partnership. We can fully leverage our complementary advantages and carry out all-round cooperation in many fields, such as e-commerce, sci-tech and finance," Hamdan Zakaria Doleh, Chairman of China Innovation Centre in UAE, appealed.