Abu Dhabi - Mubasher: Non-oil trade between the UAE and the US amounted to more than AED 111.1 billion ($30.3 billion) by the end of 2016, compared to $27.8 billion in 2015, according to the minister of economy, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri.

The minister said at a meeting with the USA Ambassadress to UAE Barbara Leaf that "UAE-USA economic relations are based on mutual trust, respect and common interest, and they are progressively growing for the higher good of both countries," as quoted by Emirates News Agency (WAM).

Minister Al Mansouri reiterated the UAE government's keenness to continue creating a business-friendly investment conducive to streamlining economic investment and utilising the immense potential boasted by the countries to their best interests, noting that US investments bound to the UAE have tangibly improved over the past years, hitting around $7 billion in 2015, the news agency added.

A total of 305 US companies have been operating in the UAE until 2015, excluding free-zone firms, in addition to 676 trade agencies and 38,290 brands, which translates the robust growth in bilateral ties, Al Mansouri indicated.