Kingdom's non-oil exports and imports had risen in the third quarter of the year 2008 compared to the same period in 2007 by 18 percent reaching SR31,451 million against SR26,553 registering an increase of SR4,898. The weight of the exports fell by 13 percent as it mounted to 8,948 tons compared to 10,278 tons in third quarter of 2007, according to a report released by the General Department of Statistics and Information. The report stressed that the petrochemical products have been maintaining their leading position in the list of the most important products exported by the Kingdom during the same period, second the second and third metalwork. Referring to imports, the report indicated that the value of the Kingdom's imports in the third quarter of the year 2008 jumped to SR109,832 compared to the previous year registering an increase of 26 percent. The weight of the imports during the same period rose by 18 percent, saying that the United Arab Emirates UAE topped the countries to which received the Kingdom's exports, followed by China and Qatar. The GCC countries ranked the first position in the list of Kingdom's exports second non Islamic and Arab Asian countries, third Arab League's countries, fourth EU, fifth North America and sixth non-Islamic Arab countries. In trade exchange between the Kingdom and GCC, the report showed that the Kingdom's exports from these countries during the third quarter of the year 2008 mounted to SR5,323 million against SR3,618 million in 2007, an increase of 47 percent, while the value of the Kingdom's non-oil exports to these counties reached SR7459 million during the same period.
