On 28 September 2026, Kezad Group (a subsidiary of AD Ports Group) and JINGDONG Property — the infrastructure investment and asset management arm of China's JD.com — signed an agreement to develop a 150,000-square-metre logistics complex in the Kezad Al Ma'mourah sub-zone of Abu Dhabi. The facility, featuring automated warehousing and digital operations, is due to open in 2028 and will create around 1,000 direct jobs. Here is what the deal means for the China–UAE trade corridor and for businesses choosing a logistics base in the region.
What has been signed
On the UAE side, the agreement was signed by Kezad Group — the operator of the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi cluster, part of AD Ports Group. On the Chinese side, the counterparty is JINGDONG Property, the infrastructure investment and asset management division of JD.com. JD.com itself is the parent company but is not a direct party to the deal — that mandate sits with JINGDONG Property.
The site is Kezad Area A, in the Kezad Al Ma'mourah sub-zone. The planned complex will cover 150,000 square metres, with a targeted completion in 2028. Technology mix: automated warehousing systems and digital operations for multimodal logistics — designed for clients who need a single stack of storage, handling and distribution across sea, air and road.
Statements from the parties
"Our agreement with JINGDONG Property will enhance Kezad's logistics capabilities, further cementing its position as a gateway for regional and global trade," Kezad Group CEO Mohamed Al Khadar Al Ahmed said in comments quoted by The National. JD.com Middle East CEO Feng Guo confirmed that the project is part of JINGDONG Property's UAE expansion strategy and that the facility will use Kezad's location and infrastructure to provide multimodal logistics services.
The scale of JINGDONG Property
For context on the counterparty: according to the company itself, JINGDONG Property globally manages more than 300 infrastructure assets with a combined gross floor area exceeding 28 million square metres and assets under management of about USD 16 billion. Against that backdrop, 150,000 sqm in Abu Dhabi is a strategic — not a pilot — commitment to the region.
Why it matters for the China–UAE trade corridor
The arrival of a major Chinese infrastructure investor in Kezad strengthens Abu Dhabi's role as a hub for Asian cargo flows into MENA. Kezad sits next to the deep-water Khalifa Port and Abu Dhabi International Airport, giving multimodal access — sea, air and road. That is exactly the profile large e-commerce and logistics operators look for when running fast-moving supply chains — a phrase Feng Guo used in the announcement.
The move is in line with the broader UAE agenda of expanding trade ties with Asia through its network of comprehensive economic partnership agreements. Current status is covered in a separate Garant piece on CEPA and UAE trade agreements.
Jobs: 1,000 direct plus indirect
Kezad Group and JINGDONG Property estimate direct employment on the site at around 1,000 people — in logistics, distribution and administrative functions. The project will also create indirect jobs in manufacturing, retail, transport and support services. A detailed role-by-role breakdown and hiring timetable have not been shared in the initial announcement — those details typically emerge closer to opening.
What it means for UAE-based businesses
For operators thinking about their own logistics or distribution setup in the region, the deal is a practical signal on several fronts:
- major international players continue to pick Kezad as their primary multimodal base in Abu Dhabi — infrastructure connectivity and the supplier ecosystem keep improving;
- warehouse automation is becoming the default for new facilities of 100,000+ sqm — CAPEX/OPEX modelling for an in-house warehouse should account for that standard;
- for Asian and CIS e-commerce and trading companies, this adds a professional-operator outsourcing option for regional logistics, as an alternative to running their own warehouses;
- for investors, JINGDONG Property's arrival is a marker of a long-term Chinese capital bet on the UAE — and specifically on the AD Ports Group cluster.
If you are planning your own logistics centre or distribution hub in the UAE, the practical mechanics — choice of zone, licensing, warehouse requirements, budget estimates — are covered in a separate Garant guide on setting up a logistics centre in the UAE.
This article is informational and does not constitute investment or legal advice. Details on timing, size and jobs are given per the joint announcement by Kezad Group and JINGDONG Property on 28 September 2026 and corroborating reports by The National, GCC Business News and Container News; the parameters may be refined as the project progresses. For questions on company setup and logistics operations in UAE free zones — the Garant team.
