There are 18 countries (or regions) participating in the “Belt and Road” in the West Asia region, namely Iran, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
The per capita GDP in the West Asia region is 13,000 US dollars, and most of them are middle-income countries. Among them, Iran is one of the important Asian economies, and China is its important trading partner.
Iran has a total population of 8 million and a per capita GDP of about 6,000 US dollars. It is mainly based on the oil extraction industry, but the infrastructure is relatively weak, and most industrial raw materials and spare parts rely on imports. The main imported products are grain, oil, food, machinery and equipment, livestock, chemical raw materials, medicines, transportation tools, beverages and tobacco.
Turkey is a member of NATO, a founding member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and a member of the Group of Twenty. It is a developing emerging economy with a strong industrial base and one of the fastest growing countries in the world. Turkey has a total population of 80 million and a per capita GDP of about 10,000 US dollars. It is rich in mineral resources. The main imported products are machinery, fuel, transportation equipment, petroleum, chemicals, and semi-finished products. The country’s Internet penetration rate is in a rapid growth stage, and it is an emerging cross-border e-commerce market.
Israel has a total population of about 8.9 million and a per capita GDP of about US$40,000. It is a country with a high degree of economic development and industrialization in the Middle East and a developed capitalist country. Israel’s market economy is mature and belongs to a mixed economy. Israel has made great contributions in science and technology, mainly knowledge-intensive and high value-added industries, and has high technical levels in electronics, agriculture, biochemistry and other sectors. It is one of the most mature cross-border e-commerce markets.
Jordan has a total population of 10 million and a per capita GDP of US$5,500. It is a developing country with a relatively weak economic foundation, relatively scarce resources, little arable land, and domestic demand mainly relies on imports. The main imported products are crude oil, chemicals, food, ready-made clothes, machinery and equipment, electronic appliances, steel, etc. The government encourages foreign investment, and constantly formulates and improves investment regulations to attract foreign investment and encourages foreign investors to invest and set up factories in Jordan’s industrial zones.
For Chinese cross-border e-commerce, developing cross-border e-commerce in West Asia has a more special advantage compared to other regions: in 2018, Alibaba acquired Daraz, the largest e-commerce platform in West Asia, and announced that it would launch a business plan for Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers, building a good market platform for Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers.