China's two-way trade with 23 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries dropped by 12% year-on-year to $329.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, according to Chinese customs data reported by Alhurra. Total Chinese imports from the region fell 27% to $114.93 billion, largely due to crude oil purchases shrinking by 38.6% to 809 million barrels amid regional conflict disruptions. In contrast, Chinese exports to MENA remained relatively resilient, decreasing by 1.4% to $214.35 billion.
The decline in Middle Eastern crude flows caused a structural shift in China's energy suppliers. Brazil delivered 325 million barrels of crude to China in the nine-month period, up 33%, surpassing Saudi Arabia as China's second-largest supplier behind Russia. Saudi crude exports to China fell 27.6% to 316 million barrels. However, recent reports indicate that shipments from Qatar, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates have begun to increase as more vessels navigate the Strait of Hormuz.
Non-energy Chinese exports showed resilience, particularly in automotive and electronics sectors. Passenger car shipments to MENA reached $15.9 billion, supported by an 87% surge in plug-in hybrid exports. The United Arab Emirates retained its standing as the top global buyer of Chinese electrified vehicles—comprising fully electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid cars—with imports totaling $3.9 billion despite a 25.3% decrease. Saudi Arabia ranked second in the Gulf with $2.2 billion in electrified vehicle purchases.
Electronics and electrical equipment remained China's largest non-energy export category to MENA, increasing 6.2% to $41.8 billion. Mobile phones represented $11.7 billion of that total, an increase of 13.1% year-on-year, with the UAE purchasing nearly half of all regional phone shipments. Meanwhile, imports of Chinese aircraft and drone components to the region slipped 7.7% to $37.3 million, with Israel and the UAE accounting for approximately 70% of those purchases.
Sources
- Alhurra · 2026-10-22
