The Trade Minister has revealed how he managed to get the trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates over the line so quickly.

Todd McClay and counterpart Minister Al Zeyoudi signed the deal this morning to remove 98.5 percent of export duties on goods.

McClay says he'd been working negotiators hard for four months following an exchange earlier in the year.

"We made a commitment together then that if we were going to do this - let's try and do it as fast as it has been done."

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