TOKYO, Dec 17: Japan and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed an accord to strengthen economic ties, including a deal for Japanese banks to extend a multibillion-dollar loan to a state-owned Abu Dhabi oil firm.

Japan hosted high-level economic talks with the UAE in the face of growing competition for energy from the fast-growing Chinese and Indian economies.

Japan, which has virtually no natural energy resources of its own, is stepping up efforts to secure stable supplies of crude oil to feed its economy, the second-largest in the world.

Under the agreement, the two countries will strengthen their partnership in the field of energy, jointly boost support for small businesses and speed up talks on legal arrangements to avoid dual taxation.—AFP