Israel's imports from China reach all-time annual record: statistics

JERUSALEM, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel's total imports from China reached an all-time annual high in 2022, according to data released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics on Sunday.

Total Israeli imports from China, excluding diamonds, reached 10.82 billion U.S. dollars during the first 10 months of the year, higher than the whole year of 2021, which stood at 10.71 billion dollars.

The leading industries of Israeli imports from China are machinery, metals, textiles, and chemicals, alongside a sharp increase in the import of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), according to the bureau data.

Dan Catarivas, director of Foreign Trade at the Israel Manufacturers Association of Israel, told Xinhua that imports from China have intensified because the Israeli government lifted tariffs and increased the import of Chinese EVs.

Catarivas said that it is difficult to assess whether the import upward trend will continue next year, but car imports from China are expected to "continue surging."