Gargash Prime, JINGDONG Property sign MoU for Dubai logistics hub

Gargash Prime and JINGDONG Property have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 2.5 million-square-foot plot in Dubai into a logistics facility. JINGDONG Property is the infrastructure arm of the Chinese e-commerce group JD.com.

The two companies will invest through a joint venture to build a distribution and fulfillment hub on the roughly 232,000-square-metre site, aimed at supply chains in the UAE and the wider Middle East. The announcement left out the investment value, the ownership split, the location of the plot and a completion date.

The MoU was signed in Shenzhen on October 13, during a visit by a Dubai Chambers delegation, and announced on the sidelines of the Dubai Business Forum China, which the chamber held on October 14. Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, Dubai Chambers president and CEO, attended the signing.

A UAE build-out already under way

The Dubai plot is the Chinese company's latest UAE commitment, following a 150,000-square-metre warehouse deal in Abu Dhabi last month.

JINGDONG Property entered the country in June 2025 by buying a logistics facility in Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone, which the company called its first logistics hub in the Middle East. In July 2025 it partnered with Abu Dhabi Airports to develop and operate a logistics facility in the Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone, then acquired a second Jafza facility in September 2025.

The most recent of those moves was an agreement with Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) Group, signed in September, for about 150,000 square metres of warehousing in KEZAD Al Ma'mourah. Delivery is due in 2028, with roughly 1,000 direct jobs expected once the site is operating.

What the partners say

Feng Guo, CEO of JD.com Middle East, described the UAE as a key gateway between major global markets and said the venture pairs the company's technology and logistics capabilities with local expertise.

Carl Chen, CEO of JINGDONG Property, called the Gargash Prime tie-up an important step in the company's long-term development in the UAE and said the facility will strengthen its regional capabilities.

Shehab Gargash, managing director and group CEO of Gargash Group and founder of Gargash Prime, said the joint venture supports the UAE's goal of reinforcing its position as a global logistics and trade hub, and that the partners intend to deliver infrastructure at scale. Walid Hizaoui, Gargash Prime's chief strategy officer, said the facility gives the company both the scale and the right partner to build a significant logistics footprint in the region.

Gargash Prime describes itself as the next chapter of the Gargash family's business, which was established in 1918. The JV fits its strategy of developing large-scale real estate and logistics infrastructure in the UAE alongside global category leaders, and aligns with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, the plan to double the size of the emirate's economy by 2033.

JINGDONG Property holds more than 300 infrastructure assets worldwide, spanning over 28 million square metres of gross floor area and more than $16 billion in assets under management. It invests in, develops and manages logistics parks, business parks and data centres for customers in e-commerce, third-party logistics, manufacturing and retail.

Gargash Group, which operates in automotive, real estate, financial services and food and beverage and represents brands including Mercedes-Benz in the UAE, placed 71st in a 2026 ranking of the region's 100 largest family businesses.

The China trade backdrop

The Dubai Business Forum China drew 854 Chinese investors and business leaders, plus a 112-member delegation from Dubai's public and private sectors, the largest such group Dubai Chambers has led outside the emirate.

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, chairman of Dubai Chambers, said in his opening address that China is Dubai's largest trading partner, with non-oil trade between them rising 118.4% from $45.3 billion (AED 166.4 billion) in 2016 to about $99 billion (AED 363.5 billion) in 2025. Dubai attracted more than 300 Chinese foreign direct investment projects with combined capital exceeding $6.7 billion (AED 24.6 billion) between 2016 and 2025, while Chinese FDI capital into the emirate almost tripled between 2024 and 2025, to more than $925.8 million (AED 3.4 billion).

The number of Chinese companies registered as active members of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce has more than tripled since 2016, reaching 6,650 as of September 2026.