Sino-Iran trade ties stood at $3.5 billion back in January 2015, and the trade value of $2.07 billion in January 2016 indicates a 41% year-on-year decrease.

Exports from China to Iran dropped to $1.3 billion in January 2016 from $2.25 billion in the previous year, showing a 42% decrease.

Iran’s exports to China have dropped to $1.25 billion in the same period, which shows a year-on-year 39% fall.

The level of trade ties between Tehran and Beijing has been gradually decreasing in the past few years.

This comes in spite of efforts by the heads of the two states to promote bilateral ties to $600 billion within the next decade.

Last month, China’s President Xi Jinping paid an official visit to Tehran and held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.

Rouhani at the time hailed the opening of a new chapter in Iran-China relations, saying that Tehran and Beijing have discussed considerable promotion of their bilateral ties within the next decade.

Rouhani underscored the need for significant development in the economic ties between the two countries after the termination of anti-Iran sanctions.

“We predict that the value of economic exchanges between Tehran and Beijing would rise to $600 billion within the next 10 years,” the Iranian president said.