While the U.S. and China wage an AI arms race, the United Arab Emirates is taking a neutral position between the two global superpowers—a key position where it stands to reap the profits. Speaking at Fortune’s ASEAN-GCC Economic Forum in Malaysia on Wednesday, UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi said that his country is seeking to double the foreign investment coming into the UAE while making its own large infrastructure bets on overlooked regions, including Africa and Southeast Asia.
Even as the UAE’s global footprint swells, driven by the billions of dollars flowing into and out of the region, Alsuwaidi said his role was simple. “I’m trying to get the best deals for my investors, and the other is trying to get the best deals for investors who are coming to the UAE,” he told Fortune’s Clay Chandler.
