Official customs statistics released on October 22, 2026, revealed that bilateral trade between China and 23 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nations dropped 12 percent year-on-year to $329.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026, according to Alhurra.
Chinese imports from the MENA region declined 27 percent to $114.93 billion. This decrease was primarily driven by a 38.6 percent drop in crude oil shipments, which fell to 809 million barrels due to geopolitical disruptions.
Chinese outbound exports to the Gulf and wider region remained largely steady, slipping 1.4 percent to $214.35 billion. Passenger vehicles and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles represented China's largest export segment to the region, generating $15.9 billion in sales.
Customs data also indicated that bilateral trade flows routed specifically through the United Arab Emirates and Qatar began to recover toward the conclusion of the third quarter.
Sources
- Alhurra · 2026-10-22
