LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- This week the who 's who of the United Arab Emirates rubbed shoulders at a Gala dinner . Business people talked deals , swapped business cards and rubbed shoulders with government elite -- in China . Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al Maktoum with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao . The Chinese government invited Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on an official visit to the country . The ruler responded by arriving with an entourage of 50 business leaders and throngs of government support -- an obvious symbol of the importance the U.A.E . has put on growing relations with China . `` China is a booming market . We 're here exploring opportunities with Chinese government entities as well as Chinese private sector companies , '' said Sultan Al Jabar CEO of sustainable energy company , Masdar . The U.S. and Europe arguably identified the exploding opportunities in China 15 years ago and , in fact , make up the bulk of the investment into the country . Compared with the huge amounts of dollars pouring in from these countries , Middle Eastern nations do relatively little business in China . Trade has mostly centred on oil imports coming out of the Gulf and cheap Chinese goods coming into the region from the other direction . Neverthess , trade between the two countries reached $ 19 billion last year and the U.A.E is keen to strengthen and diversify ties with the booming Chinese economy by investing in areas like finance , real estate and construction . `` China , India , the U.A.E . are considered fast growing emerging markets . So , what it is , is we have to see what are the niche markets and some growth where we can complement each other rather than compete , '' Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi , the U.A.E . Minister of Foreign Trade told CNN . Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem is Chairman of Dubai World , the Dubai government 's powerful holding company which supervises a portfolio of businesses -- including the third largest ports operator in the world , DP World . The company is looking at investing in China and considers real estate and finance attractive investments , according to Bin Sulayem . `` We would like to do business in a sector we are familiar with . We 're big in real estate . We 're big developers . We also look at the financial sector because we have a merger with a mortgage company in Dubai . We are investing in financial institutions , '' he said . Bin Sulayem thinks that in today 's climate it is easier to invest in the East than the West : `` We are concentrating in China , concentrating in Africa , because these are places where they 're hungry for capital and there is growth potential , '' he said , `` The officials in the East are encouraging while the officials in the West are creating noises unnecessarily . So , naturally , people will look at more investment in the East , '' he continued . To drive home the U.A.E . 's interest in doing business with China , Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum met with Chinese president Hu Jintao in Beijing . He also oversaw the signing of a private investment deal between telecommunications firm , Etisalat announcing plans to set up a research center with a Chinese partner , Huawei Technologies . The two companies have been working together for about five years but getting things done in China is still far from easy , according to Etisalat CEO , Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar : `` At the beginning of our relationship with Huawei , there was a communication issue . But that has been overcome . With others , we have to approach different people to get a decision made . So , in business , time is the most valuable thing and we do n't have time to waste , '' he said . Very few of the U.A.E . delegation have any experience working with the Chinese , which is why the government is conducting a seminar especially for Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum 's executives on the basics of doing business in China . They hope the lessons which include talking about the country 's laws and business culture will help any future business collaborations to go smoothly . The Chinese are working to bridge the cultural gap too . `` We tell Chinese companies to be careful of eating pork and drinking alcohol in the U.A.E. , to learn English and Arabic and not to sell fake goods . Chinese firms are still finding their way , '' Qiu Yong Xiang , General Manager of state-owned investment company , China International Intellectech Corp. China and the U.A.E . are certainly building closer ties and striving for more profitable partnerships . E-mail to a friend .
Dubai 's ruler met Chinese president , Hu Jintao this week during an official visit . The two countries -- both booming -- hope to strengthen business ties . U.A.E . telecommunications firm Etisalat signed a deal with Huawei Technologies . The Chinese conducted seminars on doing business in China for executives .