The UAE contemplates altering its architectural approach in a conflict-ridden Middle East while enhancing its relationship with the United States.
Biden, Harris, Sullivan, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed primarily conversed about a cluster of technological and economic contracts between the two countries, centering around AI and the developmental infrastructure required for this rapidly growing field.
"The UAE is a nation that always looks to the future, constantly taking big risks... It's a significant part of our increasing collaboration, in AI, renewable energy, space exploration, and building infrastructure to connect different regions," Biden stated in the Oval Office on Monday, in the company of the UAE president. "Today, we're upholding this history in pushing our relationship forward as the UAE will become a prominent defense ally with the United States."
Sheikh Mohammed commented, expressing his "unwavering dedication to work alongside the USA to strengthen the strategic partnership between our two nations."
The White House declared the leaders agreed on a "bold strategy" to spearhead global initiatives in developing and expanding advanced technologies.
The UAE, which established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, is pursuing a "new kind of architecture" in the region centered on "intensified communication, stability, and lasting prosperity," Anwar Gargash, the UAE president’s diplomatic advisor explained to CNN’s Becky Anderson in an interview.
Gargash explained that the UAE president's trip to the US was primarily about the future, the economy, and technology, along with the country's ambition to cooperate in the field of AI, which was the "main point of discussion."
The UAE is the second-largest Arab economy, a significant oil exporter, and a major investor in the US economy. One of America's closest allies in the Middle East and a significant recipient of US arms, it currently houses 5,000 US military personnel. The UAE now aims to substantially upgrade its "360-degree relationship" with the US, as explained by Gargash, using an ambitious plan to become a regional technology and AI hub as the US works on safeguarding its national security and tech industries from Chinese influence.
The UAE's relationship with China had previously cost Abu Dhabi a multi-billion-dollar weapons deal with the US, which would have made the Gulf country the first Arab nation to receive F-35 fighter jets, the US Air Force's prized asset, as one official informed CNN in 2021.
Leaving behind advanced Chinese technology
The deal, initiated under the Trump administration, was considered a form of recognition for the UAE's normalization of relations with Israel in 2020. However, the Biden administration consistently encouraged the UAE to phase out Huawei Technologies Co. from its telecommunications network, warning that the technology could pose a security risk to their weapons systems.
Fearing the loss of US technology, the UAE has since scaled back its collaboration with China in AI and semiconductors, favoring the US instead. Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi's state-backed technology firm G42 decided to abstain from working with Chinese companies for advanced technology, following its commitment to its US partners. The Financial Times reported earlier this year that the company had sold off all its investments in China as a gesture of allegiance to its US partners.
In Washington on Tuesday, Sheikh Mohamed met with the CEOs of NVIDIA, Blackrock, and Microsoft – three US firms that recently partnered with MGX, an Abu Dhabi-owned company aiming to raise $100 billion to support AI infrastructure, AI technologies, and semiconductors in the US and beyond.
Despite focusing on technology, the discussions with US officials included the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon, Gargash noted, mentioning that de-escalation is the "main objective."
Beyond offering humanitarian aid in Gaza, Abu Dhabi has so far refrained from contributing to Gaza's rebuilding without a clear commitment by Israel for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"It's quite complex," Gargash, who previously served as the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, said. "We believe that extreme views are impeding the formation of a consensus on a 'day after.' And we're concerned that without a clear 'day after,' any attempt to establish a ceasefire might appear futile."
Regardless, he justified the UAE's decision to normalize relations with Israel and explained that the agreement is a "component of a future Middle East that is built on compromise" and one that could offer an "alternative architecture" for the region.
He concluded that the UAE's policy is based on stability and prosperity. "I think we also have a responsibility towards regional stability and regional prosperity...You cannot prosper alone. You must prosper collectively."
"The strategic partnership between the UAE and the United States extends beyond technological and economic collaborations, as it also influences the broader context of the Middle East," the White House mentioned.
"With the UAE's focus on advanced technologies, such as AI and renewable energy, its relationship with global players like the US and China is of significant importance in shaping the world's technological landscape."
