The value of bilateral trade between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China in 2017 increased by 15.1 percent to reach 195 billion dirhams (52.65 billion U.S. dollars), UAE state news agency WAM reported Wednesday.

The non-oil trade between the two countries rose based on an uptick in re-exports of 37.4 percent, to reach 12.8 billion dirhams, while imports posted a 14.7-percent growth, totalling 177.4 billion dirhams, according to the UAE Ministry of Economy.

The ministry also said 48 percent of the trade volume, or 25.69 billion dollars, was direct trade between the UAE and China, while 52 percent, or 27.64 billion dollars, was between UAE's free zones and China.

The UAE-China trade made up 14.7 percent of the UAE's foreign trade in 2017, it added.

Ethylene polymer products, phone devices, data processing equipment and visual readers were among the most imported goods for the UAE.