Abdul Fattah Sharaf, Group General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, HSBC UAE, said that world trade is being changed by the ongoing trading between Asia and the Middle East, at a time when the region is undergoing significant economic transformations. He noted that these transformations are represented in ambitious visions and programs that aim at developing and diversifying the region’s economies and creating millions of new job opportunities. They will also become a new foundation for wealth owners and, therefore, provide more investment and spending. The United Arab Emirates is looking forward for this transformation in its economy, Sharaf told Asharq Al-Awsat. “We are talking about an economy whose volume is USD350 billion, which is the result of a vision, investment and planning that foresees the future with all its chances and challenges.” “The result is that the UAE stood out in the Middle East as one of the most diversified economies supported by many smart development programs.” He added that the surge of individuals seeking investment and work in the UAE has reached record levels. This was accompanied by 15 million tourists who came to Dubai in 2017, making it the sixth most visited city in the world. This reinforces the attractiveness of UAE as a destination for long-term investment. It has attracted an average of USD10 billion of direct foreign investment on an annual basis during the past ten days. Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of Chinese firms, noting that more than 4,000 Chinese companies are operating in the UAE, from big to medium and small enterprises. Dragon Mart in Dubai is the largest center for Chinese products outside of China.