AMMAN - The China government is considering raising its financial assistance to Jordan for this year, China’s Ambassador in Amman Yue Xiaoyong announced.

“There are discussions between Jordanian and Chinese officials in this regard and our country is keen to boost ties with Jordan,” the diplomat said in an interview with The Jordan Times this week.

According to Chinese embassy figures, China’s overall assistance to the Kingdom stood at around $140 million since 1998 to date.

Diplomatic relations between he two countries were established in 1977.

“We are seriously considering plans presented by the Jordanian government for further assistance that will cover a period of three years and we are committed to supporting the Jordan’s social and economic development,” Yue said.

Noting that China is interested in expanding economic cooperation with Jordan, the ambassador said the Chinese government encourages large Chinese companies to take part in the megaprojects Jordan plans to implement in fields of infrastructure, water and energy.

There should be more communications between Jordanian and Chinese companies to examine opportunities for joint projects, he stressed, highlighting promotional campaigns for Jordan’s tourist attractions are below the “desired level”.

“Jordan is a safe and stable country that has a fortune of precious tourism sites worth visiting and this is a great field where we can see more cooperation,” he remarked, indicating that he has this discussed issue with Jordanian tourism officials.

About 7,629 Chinese visited Jordan during the January-June period of 2010, an increase by 31.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2009, according to latest available figures by the embassy.

The ambassador, who noted that trade exchange drooped slightly between the two countries in 2010, said there is a “great potential” for increasing exports to China, adding that representatives from the two sides should look into mechanisms to realise this objective.

Total trade volume between China and Jordan in 2010 amounted to $2.05 billion, dropping by 0.48 per cent from the previous year, according to figures by the Customs Department of China.

China imported goods worth of $164.3 million from Jordan in 2010, registering a robust growth of 46.3 per cent from 2009, while China’s exports to the Kingdom stood at $1.89 billion, down by 3.2 per cent from 2009.

“I believe that the trade exchange will improve this year,” said the ambassador. (Jordan Times)