Experts praise China's expanding role in connectivity and AI at Dubai Future Forum

At the Dubai Future Forum 2025, held from Nov. 18 to 19 at the Museum of the Future, global futurists and technologists highlighted China's growing significance in bridging the digital divide, accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, and shaping long-term technological strategies across emerging markets.

The Forum, one of the world's largest gatherings dedicated to foresight and future governance, brought together many expert speakers. While the event covered a wide range of themes—from health to systems thinking—discussions around global technology flows repeatedly underscored China's expanding footprint in digital infrastructure and AI, particularly in Africa and Europe.

Dubai is one of the seven sheikhdoms that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and China has been its largest trade partner for more than a decade. As a result, Chinese leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and AI is often the focal point at many conferences and global forums taking place in Dubai. In the decades ahead, the UAE aims to become one of the world's most competitive economies.

Geci Karuri-Sebina, an associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and a leading voice in African governance foresight, emphasized that debates around the origin of technology miss the point. Responding to questions about South Africa's use of Chinese technologies, such as Huawei systems, she said, "Huawei and others are quite active in South Africa, but so are many other companies, and we use them all."

For Karuri-Sebina, the issue is fundamentally about decision-making, not geopolitics: "If South Africa is making good choices, it should be bringing us forward. For me the issue is not who is providing—it is who is buying. And who I want to buy is people who have the long-term interests of society at heart."

She added that her research focuses on public-interest foresight, working across governments and civil society, to ensure technology serves democratic and community needs: "Technology must bring civil society forward."

A similar message came from Wakanyi Hoffman, an AI ethics researcher at Utrecht University and founder of the Humanity Link Foundation, whose work blends African indigenous knowledge and Ubuntu philosophy with AI design.

Hoffman argued that China's technology contributions in Africa are often misunderstood outside the continent. "60 to 70 percent of people in Africa are still not connected to the internet. Hence, if high-tech made in China helps increase this share and Africans get online and then use AI, then it serves the ethical goal of connecting everyone."

Hoffman also noted that Chinese companies have proven effective in delivering infrastructure: "The positive side of Chinese tech in Africa is that the work gets done. Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Tanzania are quite advanced in relation to internet connectivity."

From Europe, futurist and entrepreneur Cecilia Tham, founder and CEO of Futurity Systems, offered a comparative view of how global regions approach technological development. According to Tham, European partners increasingly prioritize data protection over geopolitics: "Partners are not really looking at where a technology is based. They care more about data privacy and how their data is treated."

Canadian foresight expert David Jonker, CEO of Perceptful.AI and founder of the Open Foresight Hub, said China's strategic and coordinated approach to technology investment stands out globally.

While he has not yet conducted a full assessment of Chinese AI platforms for use in his enterprise foresight ecosystem, Jonker praised China's disciplined methodology: "From what I've studied, China takes a very strategic approach to technological investment—and it's progressing at an impressive pace. It is something to watch as a leading example." He expressed openness to adopting Chinese technologies in his own systems: "I would be open to using Chinese technology."

Across interviews and sessions at the Dubai Future Forum, a clear pattern emerged: China's influence on global digital ecosystems continues to grow. Experts repeatedly pointed to three main drivers behind this trend.

First, China provides connectivity at scale, remaining one of the largest suppliers of telecommunications infrastructure in Africa and parts of Asia.

Second, long-term strategic planning allows for fast execution of national priorities, particularly in areas such as AI and hardware.

Third, China's global market presence is expanding, with European cities like Barcelona becoming key collaboration hubs as Chinese companies deepen their engagement where demand remains strong.

As the Dubai Future Forum drew to a close, a clear message emerged: the future depends less on a technology's origin and more on how effectively societies select, govern, and use it.

(Gerard Al-Fil is a People's Daily correspondent based in Dubai.)