The UAE Ministry of Economy, led by minister Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, met with Japanese Government and private sector representatives at the ministry's Abu Dhabi office to discuss mutual collaboration in information and communications technology (ICT).

Bilateral trade between the UAE and Japan reached Dh69 billion ($18.7 billion) in the first half of 2007, with Japan importing more than 30 per cent of its mineral fuels from the UAE during the same period.

The group agreed that this productive relationship should be further expanded into growth areas such as ICT; they also exchanged views on the ICT-related policies of their respective countries and the important role of ICT technologies and services in societal development.

'IT services spending in the UAE rose 23 per cent to Dh1.86 billion in 2007 and is expected to grow by 15 per cent this year; we thus welcome our Japanese partners' offer of further expanding this growth industry. Japanese ICT technologies will also perfectly complement federal efforts to enhance inter-agency communications and develop the country's ICT infrastructure to meet burgeoning consumer demand,' said Al Mansouri.

Both parties affirmed the UAE's status as Japan's primary trade partner in the Middle East and explored how cooperation could be further extended in the field of ICT and related services.

The Japanese delegates discussed their country's leadership in traffic information; personal authentication; telepathology; and e-government technologies, and also offered their services in establishing efficient digital terrestrial broadcasting; mobile WiMAX; and advanced cellular phone systems. - TradeArabia News Service