Egypt’s trade with East Asian states 27.5% up in 2018 – report

Egypt’s trade with East Asian countries rose 27.5 percent to $24.6 billion during 2018 from $19.3 billion during 2017, according to a state-owned statics agency CAPMAS report.

East Asian countries include Malaysia, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Bangladesh.

Egyptian exports to East Asian countries increased 44.5 percent to $3.4 last year against $2.3 billion a year earlier.

India was the biggest East Asian importer to Egypt. Egyptian exports to India – mainly crude oil – stood at $114.48 million in 2018 versus $892.3 million in 2017, marking a 28.2 percent surge.

China ranked second in terms of importing from Egypt, with a value of $103.49 million last year from $692.9 million in 2017, marking a 49.4 percent growth. The key Egyptian exports to China included crude oil.

Egypt’s imports from East Asian countries climbed 24.6 percent to $21.2 billion in 2018, compared with $17.0 billion a year earlier.

China was the biggest exporter to the North African country, with a value of $114.356 million from $806.27 million in 2017, marking a 41.8 percent increase.

The most important Chinese exports to Egypt included machinery, electric appliances, and their parts, and equipment.