Western Australia, the gateway to the rest of Australia and also the powerhouse driving the country's economy, said its trade with the UAE has soared to Dh3.4 billion ($925 million) in 2013.

Currently 57.1 per cent of the trade between Australia and the UAE is carried out with Western Australia, said a statement from Western Australian Trade Office in Dubai (WATO).

WATO Dubai facilitates and encourages bilateral ties between the Middle East and African region with Western Australia.

In 2013, a high-level business delegation led by the Minister of Economy Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri visited Western Australia to explore ways of strengthening economic and trade relations with the State.

"Western Australia is the powerhouse driving Australia's economy, accounting for 46 per cent share of total Australian exports. A mere 10 hour flight away, the UAE is one of Western Australia’s biggest trading partners for mineral and agriculture commodities," remarked Pankaj Savara, the commissioner of WATO.

"With established business relations and growing bilateral ties, the State is fast increasing its presence in the UAE and in the Middle East and Africa," he added.

The state is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, holding international recognition for its primary resource industries - Agriculture, Mining, and Oil & Gas.

This year an MoU was signed between the Government of Western Australia and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), with the objectives of sharing knowledge and technology between Western Australia and the Comesa states across the fields of mining, petroleum and agriculture.

"The Gulf and Africa look to Western Australia for raw materials for agribusiness and resources. The growing air connectivity between the two regions has improved understanding of its capabilities and has increasingly solidified Perth, as the gateway to Australia. This has been reflected by continued visits by high powered ministerial delegates and the signing of a MoU,” said Savara.

He said the Wato was in Dubai to assist Middle Eastern and African companies find the right Western Australian suppliers for a wide range of products and services in a number of industries including construction sector, oil and gas sector, agribusiness, mining and education.

According to him, Western Australia’s merchandise exports to Africa in 2012-13 totalled $1.4 billion, accounting for 38 per cent of Australia’s total.

More than 70 per cent of Australian companies investing in Africa’s mining industry are based in the Western Australia State. Current figures show that 168 Western Australian mining companies are operating 807 projects in Africa, in 33 of the 54 African countries.

On the tourism front, Western Australia is a welcoming gateway to the rest of Australia; Perth is amongst the top 10 most livable cities in the world.

Currently there are four daily flights to Perth and more flights are being added due to the growing trade relations between UAE and Australia. Perth is also well connected with the GCC countries through daily multiple air connections by Gulf carriers.

Etihad Airways will be launching a new daily route linking Abu Dhabi to Perth starting from July 15. Western Australia’s gross state product (GSP) was $243 billion in 2012-13, contributing to 16 per cent of Australia’sGDP.-TradeArabia News Service