TEHRAN, Iran, March 3
Trend:
Head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce expressed hope that Iran and China will definitely see better trade after the coronavirus crisis over.
“The effect of coronavirus on economies has the same effect as it has on individuals; therefore, the coronavirus poses more risks for the weaker economies,” Majid Reza Hariri said, Trend reports citing Fars News Agency.
“Large economies are able to overcome the effects of the coronavirus,” said Hariri adding that the stronger economies can handle the crisis much easier than economically disadvantaged economies like the Iranian.
Answering the question of what sectors of Iranian economy have been more affected by coronavirus, he said that the situation can have deadly consequences for the whole sector, but it is certainly more detrimental for small and medium-sized businesses.
Hariri noted that businesses such as urban transportation, restaurants, cafés and retailers have been most affected by the recent outbreak of the coronavirus.
He also stressed that the regular export process is also disrupted due to coronavirus outbreak.
"As for the opening and closing of borders, import restrictions on Iranian goods and even restrictions on Iranian traffic to other countries have resulted in reduction of our exports," the official added.
"Even if it is possible to export Iranian to other countries, it is unclear whether the consumer those countries will decide to purchase our items. Unfortunately, the non-oil export to Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Azerbaijan is interrupted due to the spread of coronavirus in our country," he said adding that exports of petrochemicals, minerals and non-metallic products were also affected.