The official visit of President Sheikh Mohamed to the United States represents a significant milestone in the longstanding history of bilateral relations between the two nations, which began over half a century ago.
The UAE remains a key partner of the United States both in the region and on the global stage.
The visit articulates the UAE’s approach to strengthening bridges of partnership, promoting dialogue, and building effective and balanced relations based on trust, credibility and mutual respect with countries around the world to enhance international stability and peace, and achieve development and prosperity for all peoples.
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Bilateral collaboration spans multiple areas, including development, politics, security, economy, trade, and defence. The two countries also share numerous economic and security partnerships, bolstered by the announcement of the Abraham Accords in 2019.
The bilateral diplomatic relations between the UAE and the US were established shortly after the founding of the UAE in 1971. The UAE’s embassy in Washington was established in 1974, and the US embassy in Abu Dhabi opened in the same year.
Economic relations in numbers
The strong economic ties between the two countries are evident in the significant increase in non-oil foreign trade (excluding services), which reached $39.5 billion in 2023 compared to $23.8 billion in 2022.
The UAE’s imports from the United States increased to $25.9 billion in 2023, compared to $21.3 billion in 2022.
The UAE’s exports to the US increased from $3.2 billion in 2022 to $3.9 billion in 2023. Additionally, the UAE’s re-exports to the US rose in 2023 to $9.6 billion from $8.2 billion in 2022.
The UAE’s investments in the US amounted to $3.7 billion between 2018 and 2023, while US investments in the UAE reached $9.5 billion during the same period. The main sectors of UAE investment in the US include renewable energy, telecommunications, energy, real estate, software services, and information technology.
Technology and climate change
Several collaborative agreements in the domains of technology and artificial intelligence have been signed between the two nations this year. In June, World Wide Technology (WWT), a leading technology integration company based in the US, signed a strategic agreement with NXT Global to establish the UAE’s first AI Integration Centre in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, which will be one of the most sustainable urban developments in the world.
In April, Microsoft announced a strategic investment of $1.5 billion in G42, further enhancing the growing collaboration in the fields of artificial intelligence and technology.
The launch of the UAE’s Hope Probe in 2021 significantly consolidating scientific cooperation in space exploration between the UAE and the US. This collaboration was clearly evident in the UAE’s new mission to the asteroid belt, conducted in partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder.
In this context, the UAE plays a key role in NASA’s Lunar Gateway project, where it will develop a dedicated airlock module for astronauts and scientists. Additionally, the UAE plans to send its first astronaut to lunar orbit, as announced in an initiative in June. The module, essential for the safety of astronauts and mission operations, is scheduled to be launched by 2030.
Climate action is one of the most important aspects of fruitful cooperation between the two countries, highlighted by the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE). This initiative aims to mobilise $100 billion to produce 100 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035.