Dubai’s foreign trade value rose 7.6 per cent to AED1.3 trillion ($362bn) in 2013.

Imports accounted for the majority of the figure, with the value increasing 10 per cent to AED811bn during the year, while that of exports and re-exports went up 4 per cent to reach AED518bn.

The trade value of Dubai’s free zones rose 11 per cent to AED467bn. Trade through customs warehouses went up 60 per cent to AED16bn.

India represented Dubai’s largest trade partner, with a total of AED137bn, amounting to 10 per cent of all trades. China came second with a value of AED135bn, accounting for slightly less than 10 per cent. The US was third with AED86bn, or 6 per cent of all trades, while Saudi Arabia rose to fourth position with AED56bn, or 4 per cent, followed by the UK with AED54bn, representing  another 4 per cent.

The top countries that Dubai imported from were China, the US and India respectively. India, Turkey and Switzerland represented the emirate’s largest export partners.  Its top re-export partner was Saudi Arabia, followed by India and Iraq.