The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is strengthening its trade relationship with China, which has a growing appetite for imported energy. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum, prime minister of the UAE arrived in Beijing on Monday for a four-day official visit. Mohammad, who also is ruler of Dubai, one of the seven states that comprise the federation, met with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The UAE is already China's second-biggest trade partner in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia. Bilateral trade between the UAE and China has grown by an annual rate of 40 percent from $4 billion in 2003 to $20 billion in 2007. China exported $17 billion worth of goods to the UAE in 2007. The UAE exported about $3 billion worth of goods to China. Mohammad was accompanied by a large delegation of ministers and business executives.
Journal of Commerce
