Tehran, Iran, May 31
By Mehdi Sepahvand –- Trend:
Despite expectations that the nuclear deal and its ensuring removal of sanctions would limit Iran’s trade with China by creating Western rivals for the East Asian industrial country, new records show that things have gone otherwise.
Iran’s exports to china saw a huge weight increase in the first four months of 2017 to hit 21.12 million tons, which means a 31 percent jump year on year, Iranian Ambassador to Beijing Ali Asqar Khaji told IRNA news agency May 31.
China is the number one customer of Iran’s nonoil products, whose weight in the mentioned period hit 11.59 million tons and came as a 66 percent improvement year on year, the ambassador said.
In the meantime, China’s export to Iran declined by 2.16 million tons in the same period, where it had been 4.90 million tons in the same period of 2016, Khaji said.
He noted that although this shows a 44 percent decline in weight, the value of the trade shows a 30.7 percent improvement.
He also noted that Iran’s export to china showed a value increase of 69.7 percent in the meantime.
Trade turnover between Iran and China stood at $12.1 billion in first four months of 2017, according to the latest statistics released by the Chinese Customs Administration.
China's exports to Iran in the 4-month period amounted to $5.7 billion, 30 percent more, year-on-year.
The country also imported $6.4 billion worth of goods from Iran in that period, 70 percent more compared to the 4-month period of 2016.
The trade turnover between the two countries was $51 billion in 2014, 31 percent more compared to the preceding year.
The figure stood at $34 billion in 2015, indicating a 34-percent plunge.