Chinese IT firms ramp up presence at biggest tech fair in Mideast

DUBAI — Chinese tech firms have ramped up presence at the 37th Gitex Technology Week, the biggest Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) fair in the Middle East, which opened here Sunday.

This year's five-day fair, which has gathered 4,100 exhibitors from over 70 countries including China, was estimated to attract over 100,000 visitors.

Notably, more Chinese companies are taking part in the fair this year in a bid to explore market opportunities or expand their market share in the Middle East and North Africa, a growing IT market.

Chinese blue chip firms as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are hoping to benefit from the region's digital transformation by actively participating in the Gitex exhibition.

The annual tech fair has long been a platform to market its products for China's IT giant Huawei, which this year showcases its latest solutions in relation to the internet of things, cloud computing and smart city software.

"The Middle East is a historic center of exploration and innovation," said Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East. "We are now seeing an era where the region is reclaiming leadership in these areas, as pioneers of the digital transformation."

Many SMEs from China are also taking the opportunity to market their products in the Middle East and North Africa where statistics show that IT spending is set to grow 2.4 percent in 2017 to reach $155.8 billion.

"Our mini-robots can help schools and families to improve education of children," said Mikki Li, sales director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the Leju Robotics from Shenzhen, China.

Leju, a high end intelligent humanoid robot company which produces robots that can function as educational tools for children, took part in the fair for the first time.

Li said that, since a growing number of schools in the region aim to integrate digital technology and artificial intelligence into their curriculums, his company is confident "to find distributors and business partners here at Gitex."

Quanhang Technology, a company from Ningbo of China's Zhejiang province, has already cooperated with Dubai Police in helping increase road security in Dubai by using its Smart Controller solutions.

"The Smart Controller can be installed near roads and it will take pictures of the car plates of reckless drivers who try to avoid traffic jams by illegally using the hard shoulder," explained Gary Zhang, the sales manager at Quanhang.