HSBC says largest Gulf cities must prioritise sustainable innovation, empower human capital, and support new flows of trade

Announcement comes before historic visit of President Xi Jinping.

The Emirate struck oil in 1969 but today black gold accounts for less than 1% of its GDP. 

On a sunny October morning just over three decades ago, an unknown airline from a little-known city took to the sky for its inaugural flight. With scarce resources, the airline had leased two planes from Pakistan International Airlines for those first journeys to Karachi.

Today, Emirates Airline -- based in Dubai -- is a global aviation giant. Its distinctive logo is splashed across the shirts of Premier League football teams and adorns the courts at global tennis tournaments. With a passenger capacity of more than 60.5 million at the end of 2016-17, it is the world's largest international carrier.