Uzbekistan's 1H23 foreign trade volume rose 19.4% y/y to $29.17bn, the national statistical agency has reported.
Exports amounted to $12.14bn on a 23% y/y expansion. Imports grew somewhat more slowly at 17% y/y, but still much exceeded exports at $17.03bn.
China was Uzbekistan’s main trading partner. Bilateral trade amounted to $5.27bn, or 18% of turnover. Chinese exports accounted for $4.23bn of that figure.
Russia placed second for foreign trade at $4.41bn, followed by Kazakhstan ($2.19bn), Turkey ($1.49bn) and South Korea ($1.03bn).
Exports to France grew sharply, reaching $195mn, up threefold year on year.
Excluding gold, manufactured goods remained the main item on Uzbekistan's list of exported commodities. Even taking into account an 8.9% y/y drop, they brought in $2.13bn, more than 17% of all export revenue. Half of this amount was provided by textiles and fabrics ($1.08bn, -14% y/y).
In imports, heavy industry items were the clear leader at $6.43bn (+29.8% y/).
The country imported $620mn (+56.7% y/y) worth of cars and $667.9mn worth of spare parts. Another $2.1bn was spent on industrial machines and components.
Uzbekistan also significantly increased its imports of fuels and lubricants. Gas supplies increased by 2.6 times to $200mn, and oil and petroleum products by two-thirds to $925.9mn.
Related Articles
Nearly 60 LNG vessels sitting idle as inefficient vessels head to scrapyard
The LNG sector is experiencing a significant uptick in vessels sent to scrapyards, data from Clarksons Research has revealed. The trend is increasing particularly in South Korea, a global ... more
China’s Guangdong Pearl River strikes LNG deal with ConocoPhillips
China’s Guangdong Pearl River Investment Management Group said this week that it had signed a 15-year LNG sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with ConocoPhillips. The deal was struck at the 29th ... more
Taiwan shuts down final nuclear reactor, pivots to LNG
Taiwan is looking to ramp up purchases of LNG cargoes on the spot market after the island shut down its final nuclear reactor, Bloomberg reported on May 19. The island nation has long ... more