[DAMASCUS] China’s economic activity in the Syrian market accelerated sharply in 2026, with Syrian imports from China rising significantly as hundreds of millions of dollars in new Chinese-linked industrial investments began to emerge.
The value of Syrian imports from China reached approximately $669.9 million during the first six months of 2026, exceeding in just half a year the total value of Chinese exports to Syria throughout 2025, which stood at about $668 million.
In 2024, total Syrian-Chinese trade was worth about $389 million, including approximately $386 million in Chinese exports to Syria, compared with only around $3 million in Syrian exports to China.
In 2025, Chinese exports to Syria rose to $668.1 million, an increase of roughly 73% compared with 2024, while Syrian exports to the Chinese market fell to just $1.26 million, highlighting a wide trade imbalance in China’s favor.
Among the goods seeing increased Syrian demand are iron, machinery, equipment, vehicles, and materials used in infrastructure and construction projects, as the country sees growing activity related to reconstruction, factory rehabilitation, and public works.
Cooperation between the two countries now extends well beyond trade.
In the Hassia Industrial City in Homs province, preparations are underway for five projects with an estimated combined value of around $500 million, involving White Room Holding, represented by Asas, the Chinese company Zhong, and the management of the industrial city.
These projects are expected to cover approximately 500 dunams and include a steel rolling facility, a ceramics factory, a construction materials plant, an asphalt plant, and a stone quarry.
Among the most notable deals announced during the 63rd Damascus International Fair in September were projects addressing Syria’s reconstruction and infrastructure needs. The investment plans are part of a broader series of recent commercial initiatives between the two countries.
In July, the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce and the Syrian-Chinese Business Council signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at expanding trade and investment cooperation, encouraging joint business forums, exchanging economic information, supporting partnerships, and promoting technology transfer.
In June, the two sides also launched the “Syrian International Smart Industrial Cities” platform, designed to connect Syrian industrial cities with Chinese partners and draw on Chinese expertise in technology, manufacturing, and industrial training.
The latest figures indicate that China is rapidly reemerging as a major supplier of goods and equipment to the Syrian market. The next phase will show whether that trade growth can develop into long-term industrial investment and actual local production inside Syria.
At the same time, the large imbalance in bilateral trade remains one of the defining features of the relationship, with Syria importing hundreds of millions of dollars in Chinese goods while its exports to China remain extremely limited.
If the announced projects in Hassia move from agreements into implementation, they could mark a significant shift in the economic relationship between the two countries from one dominated by Chinese imports to one that also includes manufacturing, technology transfer, and direct investment inside Syria.
