JAKARTA - The increase in conflicts in the Middle East in the past week has apparently affected many things. Including Chinese car manufacturers who have experienced significant disruptions in their export operations.
Citing the Carnewschina website, Wednesday, March 4, the war has affected direct sales to countries throughout the Middle East, West Africa to North Africa, because there are important transit routes through Dubai that serve these markets.
"Our business in Iran has completely stopped," an export manager from a Chinese state-owned carmaker told Caixin.
The impact extends far beyond Iran, as another automotive trade professional explained. Many Chinese car companies use Dubai as a transit hub to reach other Middle Eastern markets or West and North Africa.
As is known, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as China's third largest automotive export destination by 2025, after Mexico and Russia.
According to data compiled by Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association, exports to the UAE reached 567,000 vehicles last year, representing growth of more than 70 percent compared to the previous year. Even that figure far exceeds the UAE's domestic car sales of less than 400,000 units.
"Dubai basically serves as an intermediary warehouse, many companies send vehicles to Dubai first before distributing them to the final destination. In 2025 alone, our company sent almost 30,000 vehicles to Dubai," an automotive trade professional told Caixin.
Seaborne shipments remain the main and most cost-effective method of transportation for Chinese automotive exports to the Middle East. Dubai's Jebel Ali port, the largest port in the region, serves as a major hub for roll-on/roll-off vehicle transportation and a key gateway for Chinese automotive exports to the Middle East.
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