Dubai's Multi Commodities Center, the largest free trade zone in the United Arab Emirates, has seen a strong surge in the number of Chinese companies as the Belt and Road Initiative drives new business opportunities.

Registrations of Chinese companies at the DMCC have grown by an average of 46 percent annually over the past five years.

"The number of Chinese companies setting up in Dubai and DMCC is on the rise," said Chief Executive Officer Gautam Sashittal. "But it is still a small portion of our 13,500 registered companies in total".