Israeli imports from China up 51.8 pct in Q1

JERUSALEM, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Israeli imports from China jumped by 51.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2021, the state's Central Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday.

This file picture taken on July 16, 2020 shows face masks for sale next to dried fruits and spices at a shop in the Mahane Yehuda Market of Jerusalem. (Photo: AFP)

From January to March, Israeli imports from China, excluding diamonds, totaled 2.99 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 1.97 billion dollars in the same period in 2020, according to the bureau.

In March, Israeli imports from China more than doubled, rising 122 percent from 438 million dollars in March 2020 to 974 million dollars in the same month this year.

Meanwhile, the Israeli exports to China rose 20.2 percent from 1.09 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2020 to 1.31 billion dollars in the same period in 2021.

This figure reflects a recovery in Israeli exports to China, after an annual decrease of 2.74 percent in 2020, compared to 2019, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Israeli imports in the first quarter amounted to 20.7 billion dollars, up by 12.5 percent year on year, while Israeli exports amounted to 13.6 billion dollars, down by 1.4 percent.