Palestinians Working in West Bank
In the face of strict occupation restrictions on trade and travel as well as prolonged economic stagnation and a massive flow of cheap Asian imports, Palestinian businessmen have began to turn increasingly to China for emigration.
An increased demand for Chinese visas by Palestinian business owners in the West Bank has been noted, and the wave of cheap Chinese goods in the Palestinian towns is the latest blow that the trade businesses are receiving there, which suffered greatly during the already stringent Israeli restrictions on travel that led to inflated costs hampered and curbed economic growth.
Many Palestinians tend to travel to China to purchase cheap goods and commodities and sell them at home.
The Palestinian diplomat in residence in Beijing, Ahmed Kayid, noted that during the past ten years more than 200 Palestinian businessmen have settled in China, while thousands of Palestinian and Arab businessmen often travel to Chinese cities for trade and return home quickly.
Kayid, the head of the Department of trade relations with China at the Palestinian Embassy in Beijing says: “The value of imports of Palestinian goods from China reached more than $2 billion through direct trade channels by Palestinian businessmen or through Israel, and it should be noted that competition from cheap Chinese goods has led to the collapse of industry in most parts of Palestine after the indicator “Made in China” began to gain an unexpected success in all Palestinian shops and stores”.
Source: al-Ittihad, UAE, April 23, 2008
