The trade gap reveals the size of the available space. In 2025, Chinese exports to Jordan amounted to about $6.29 billion, compared to about $430 million in Jordanian exports to China, the latter mainly concentrated in phosphate, potash, fertilizers, chemicals, and copper. This is not about balancing the accounts between two fundamentally different economies in size, but about Jordanian potential that has not yet been sufficiently invested.
These potentials are clearer in the agricultural sector. Jordanian agricultural exports amounted to 1.68 billion dinars in 2025, reaching 112 countries, while their presence in the Chinese market remains relatively limited. However, Jordanian exports to China increased by 74.8% during the first seven months of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year. This is a positive sign, but the key is to convert this growth into more diverse, sustainable, and valuable exports.
The recent royal visit is significant in this context. The discussions and meetings of His Majesty the King in China addressed cooperation opportunities in agriculture, food industries, value-added sectors, and manufacturing. The signed arrangements included a protocol on quarantine and veterinary health requirements for exporting Jordanian sheep skins to China, and a memorandum of cooperation in animal and plant quarantine. These steps show that market access is not solely driven by commercial desire but is preceded by technical, health, and regulatory requirements, followed by the task of competition and sustainability.
Here, the Jordanian opportunity lies more in value than in quantity. An economy with limited resources and water has no interest in competing with major producers in terms of quantity in a market thousands of kilometers away. It is more beneficial to focus on products capable of achieving high value, bearing the cost of distance, maintaining quality and continuity, while developing food manufacturing, packaging, tracking, cold chain, agricultural technology, and water use efficiency.
Conversely, China should not be viewed solely as a market for Jordanian products but as a potential partner in building capacities that precede export. Investment in food manufacturing, agricultural technology, or logistics services may have a deeper impact than increasing exports of a specific commodity if it contributes to raising productivity, added value, and linking Jordanian companies to broader value chains and markets.
The next step requires moving from general talk about the Chinese market to a specific basket of Jordanian products with actual opportunities, studying each for market requirements, competition, access costs, and producers' readiness, then building links with Chinese importers and distributors. Success is not measured by the number of products allowed entry but by their ability to survive and grow after entry.
After 77 years of Chinese transformation, the Jordanian opportunity goes beyond increasing exports to a huge market. It is an opportunity to use the relationship with China to link production with technology, manufacturing, and markets. The difference between opening a market and being present in it is the difference between an available opportunity and an economic ability to invest it.
- A researcher specializing in supply chains and economic policies
