"In the last decade, our trade has grown tenfold to $100 billion and we look forward to another tenfold (increase) in the next decade," United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said.

He was speaking after a meeting of ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China.

"China has always been a great partner for the GCC and we look forward to even further strengthening our relationship," added the minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the GCC.

The GCC-China Strategic Dialogue was held in Abu Dhabi in the presence of ministers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as China. Oman and Qatar were not represented.

The next joint ministerial meeting will be in China next year.

The first was held in Beijing last year, where a memorandum of understanding was signed and a framework agreement for economic and investment cooperation was reached.

Fast-growing Asian economies have become major trading partners for Gulf countries as their demand for oil, the main Gulf export, continue to expand.

earlier related report
China makes progress on intellectual property rights: US
Washington (AFP) May 2, 2011 - The United States on Monday said China was making progress on improving protection of intellectual property rights but voiced concern about Beijing's longer term commitment.

China was among 12 countries cited on this year's "priority watch list" for weak protection of intellectual property rights.

The Special 301 Report released by US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said that a program launched in October by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao -- China's "Special Campaign" -- might lead to "lasting improvements" in IPR enforcement.

The Special Campaign, originally slated to end in March, has been extended for another three months.

The Special Campaign has targeted "a broad range of intellectual property violations," the report said: illegal downloads of music and movies; CD and DVD piracy; software infringment; and trademark infringement, the latter involving particularly counterfeit mobile phones, auto parts, bulk commodities and pharmaceuticals.

The campaign "appears to have resulted in improved coordination among various IPR enforcement authorities in China at the central, provincial, and local levels," it said.

However, some companies and trade associations reported mixed results and "remain skeptical about whether current activity levels will be maintained once the Special Campaign ends."

Seventy-seven US trading partners were reviewed for this year's report and 42 countries were placed on watch or monitoring lists.

The 12 countries on the priority watch list -- China, Russia, Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, and Venezuela -- will be the subject of "particularly intense" bilateral talks in the next year, the report said.

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