UAE President’s trip to US to bring a trillion-dollar partnership in focus

President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is embarking on his first official trip to the US since assuming the UAE Presidency. He is set to push the UAE-US ties to a fresh “geo-economic phase” centered on economic performance and innovation, as per reports.

“The purpose of the visit is really from an Emirati perspective, it is investing in our future … through an economic lens,” the leader’s most senior diplomatic advisor told reporters during a briefing in Dubai on Thursday.

UAE-US bilateral relations beyond the traditional focus

Gargash suggested that His Highness is going to seek to expand economic and security cooperation, but also important areas of mutual interest such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, climate and space exploration.

Sheikh Mohamed and his US counterpart Joe Biden are going to highlight a half-century trajectory of UAE-US partnership in trade, investment and security, Yousef al-Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to the US, posted on X ahead of the official trip on Monday.

Statement from Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba on His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s historic visit to the United States next week. #UAEUSA pic.twitter.com/P8RiBKGvm5

— UAE Embassy US (@UAEEmbassyUS) September 18, 2024

The agenda for the UAE leader’s meeting in the US is most likely to include discussions on major regional challenges such as the Israel-Hamas conflict. But Gargash said the primary objective is economic realignment, according to reports.

The Gulf state is seeking to push the UAE-US bilateral relationship beyond the traditional focus of oil, regional conflict and defence. Sheikh Mohamed is also going to meet key US business leaders and tech executives, reinforcing the UAE’s aim of attracting US investment.

UAE and US share a deepening trillion-dollar partnership

The UAE and the US have a trade and investment partnership that spams more than 50 years. In 2023, the countries noted a bilateral trade of around $31.4 billion. The UAE also has investments in the US that total a staggering $1 trillion.

In February 2024, a leading entrepreneur and investor in the US said the UAE could serve as the global “regulatory sandbox” to test artificial intelligence. Later on, Microsoft announced a major $1.5 billion investment in the UAE’s top artificial intelligence firm G42.