Fight against obesity in Gulf Arab big chance for Chinese firms

The Gulf Arab states are fighting an uphill struggle against obesity and its related diseases, which presents big opportunities for the Chinese firms.

Hundreds of Chinese firms are displaying their products at the 2015 Arab Health fair and exhibition in Dubai in a bid to grab a share of the growing market related to diabetic patients.

The rising needs for care and treatment of diabetes patients in the region motivated the company BioHermes from Wuxi, Jiangsu province of China to come to the exhibit for the first time.

The fair is the biggest medical congress in the UAE and in the region, and this year's exhibition marks its 40th edition.

"Diabetes spreads in the Middle East due to unhealthy eating and so-called modern lifestyle joined with daily consummation of fast-food and a lack of physical exercising," said Emma Gao, overseas marketing manager at BioHermes.

According to the international diabetes federation (IDF), in the Middle East obesity is often the trigger for diabetes.

Jenny Chang, sales manager at Jerry Medical from Taiyuan City, Shanxi province, said that she sees a growing and long-term market in the Gulf region for Chinese healthcare entities.

The IDF estimates that the population struggling with diabetes will go up from 34.6 million to 67.9 million in the Middle East and North Africa by 2035.

The four-day health fair, which attracted 4,000 companies, and an estimated 120,000 professionals worldwide, will end on Thursday.