China (CHN) and Iran (IRN) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

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China-Iran Trade: In 2023, China exported $10B to Iran. The main products that China exported to Iran were Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($1.17B), Vehicle Bodies (including cabs) for the motor vehicles (8701 to 8705) ($1B), and Broadcasting Equipment ($374M). Over the past 5 years the exports of China to Iran have decreased at an annualized rate of 4.62%, from $12.7B in 2018 to $10B in 2023.

In 2023, China did not export any services to Iran.

Iran-China Trade: In 2023, Iran exported $4.59B to China. The main products that Iran exported to China were Iron Ore ($1.3B), Ethylene Polymers ($1.26B), and Acyclic alcohol derivatives (halogenated, sulphonated, nitrated) ($542M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Iran to China have decreased at an annualized rate of 26.7%, from $21.6B in 2018 to $4.59B in 2023.

In 2023, Iran did not export any services to China.

Comparison: In 2023, China ranked 21 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.16), and 1 in total exports ($3.42T). That same year, Iran ranked 58 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.084), and 92 in total exports ($13.2B).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, China exported $10B to Iran. The main products exported from China to Iran were Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($1.17B), Vehicle Bodies (including cabs) for the motor vehicles (8701 to 8705) ($1B), and Broadcasting Equipment ($374M). During the last 5 years the exports of China to Iran have decreased at an annualized rate of 4.62%, from $12.7B in 2018 to $10B in 2023.

In 2018, Iran exported $4.59B to China. The main products exported from Iran to China were Iron Ore ($1.3B), Ethylene Polymers ($1.26B), and Acyclic alcohol derivatives (halogenated, sulphonated, nitrated) ($542M). During the last 5 years the exports of Iran to China have decreased at an annualized rate of 26.7%, from $21.6B in 2023 to $4.59B in 2018.

Exports from China () to Iran () (2023)

Exports from Iran () to China () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between China () and Iran ()

China Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

China
Top DestinationUnited States$436B

Iran
Top DestinationChina$4.59B

This map shows whether countries import more from China or Iran. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from China and Iran or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, countries that imported more from China than Iran included United States ($436B), Hong Kong ($259B), and Japan ($169B).

In 2023, no countries were registered that imported more from Iran than from China.

Difference in imports from Iran () and China () (2023)

Comparative Advantage China - Iran

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between China and Iran by product, considering products traded by both, China and Iran.

During 2023, China had a large net trade with Iran in the exports of Machines ($3.8B), Transportation ($2.5B), and Metals ($826M).

During 2018, Iran had a large net trade with China in the exports of Mineral Products ($1.58B), Plastics and Rubbers ($1.26B), and Metals ($805M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential China Iran+$423MTelephones

Top Product Potential Iran China+$355MCrude Petroleum

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of China and Iran. This means that a dot/product with the flag of China indicates it has a comparative advantage over Iran. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of Iran indicates it has a comparative advantage over China.

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from China () to Iran () (2023)

Exports from Iran () to China () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between China () and Iran ()

China Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from Iran () and China () (2023)

Comparative Advantage China - Iran

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of China () and Iran () (2023)

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