Iran Could Triple Its Exports to China within Next Few Years

TPO head Hamid Zadboum said non-oil exports to China had topped $9 billion in the year to March.

Zadboum said, however, that Iran’s exports to China had diversified over the period so that goods that used to be imported from China in recent years were exported to the East Asian country over the past calendar year.

He said exports could easily increase by three times in the next few years as Iranian products are becoming more popular for the Chinese customers.

“If someone manages to find a market for a product in China, he’ll face a very big demand,” said the TPO head.

The remarks come days after Iran and China signed a comprehensive partnership agreement to set out a roadmap for their economic cooperation in the next 25 years.

Experts believe the agreement would lead to increased output of energy products in Iran for the purpose of shipping to the Chinese market.

Petrochemicals have accounted for a bulk of Chinese imports from Iran over the past years amid a historic boom in the downstream section of the Iranian oil and gas industry.

A draft of the Iranian-Chinese partnership agreement published last year showed that China would commit to a huge investment in the Iranian energy sector under the deal while Iran would guarantee a steady supply of crude and petroleum products to China.