Mohammad leads high-profile team to Vietnam and China

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will leave today for a two-day visit to Vietnam.

He will hold talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung during the visit on new ways of cooperation.

The Vice-President will be accompanied by a high-profile delegation that includes ministers and senior officials.

Following the Vietnam visit, Shaikh Mohammad will travel to China to head the UAE delegation to the World Economic Forum in Dalian. He will also hold talks with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the forum- the first to be hosted by the Asian giant.

According to a Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry study released yesterday, the UAE's non-oil trade with Vietnam has surged to $127 million (about Dh466 million) in 2005 from $37 million (about Dh136 million) in 2000.