DUBAI, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The non-oil foreign trade of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the first quarter of 2017 totalled 401 billion dirhams (109.26 billion U.S. dollars), up 3.2 percent from last year, state news agency WAM reported Tuesday, citing statistics by the Federal Customs Authority (FCA).
Direct foreign trade, which represents 68 percent of the UAE's total trade volume, was valued at 272 billion dirhams during the same period.
More than 40 free trade zones in the UAE, with a trade value of 129 billion dirhams in the first quarter, account for 32 percent of the country's total trade volume.
The non-oil trade has seen "a remarkable stability" because of the economic diversification in favor of productive and service sectors and oil sector's declining contribution to GDP, WAM quoted FCA chief Ali Al-Ka'abi as saying.
Saudi Arabia remains the largest trade partner of the UAE with 19.9 billion dirhams of non-oil trade, followed by Kuwait (7.3 billion dirhams), Oman (7.1 billion dirhams) and Bahrain (4.2 billion dirhams).
Oil contributes 29 percent to the UAE's GDP, the lowest share among all Gulf Arab states.
