UAE celebrates China's national day with warm welcome for visitors

Passport officers handed out chocolates and souvenirs displaying the flags of the two countries

Visitors from China were given a special welcome at Dubai International Airport on Sunday. Photo: General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs

The UAE has marked the national day of China with a special reception for Chinese visitors to Dubai.

Smart gates at Dubai International Airport were decked out in red, the colour of the Chinese flag, on Sunday to welcome arrivals from China.

Dubai passport officers from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai who are fluent in Chinese handed out chocolates and souvenirs that featured pins displaying the UAE and Chinese flags, scarves and greeting cards.

Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi the Adnoc building was illuminated with the colours of the Chinese flag.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, paid tribute to the bond between China and the UAE.

"We congratulate the leaders and people of the People’s Republic of China on their 74th National Day, wishing them further prosperity and peace," he wrote on social media.

"We share longstanding strategic and cultural ties with China and we look forward to strengthening our relations and co-operation for a better future for both of our peoples and the world."

Sheikh Mohammed also shared a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, detailing the connection between the nations.

"There are similarities between Shanghai and Dubai," he said in the video.

"We learned from China 'speed at work' ... therefore we accomplish fast.

“We exchange visits, I was keen to visit China 30 years ago with Sheikh Zayed in an official visit," he added.

“Later on, I visited China three times in one year. This means that I liked the country, and I liked the people."