In figures … France loses if Arab and Islamic countries boycott their products

Voices increase in the Arab and Islamic world to boycott French products, due to the tension caused by the issue of the offensive cartoons to the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him.

Data from ITC Trade, a UN project, showed that France’s total exports to countries around the world last year amounted to $ 555.1 billion, which is more than half a trillion dollars.

Last year, French exports to 7 Arab countries totaled about $ 29 billion, the most important of which was to Morocco and Algeria.

The volume of trade between Algeria and France in 2019 reached about 10.209 billion dollars, of which 5.513 billion dollars for French exports to Algeria, against 4.696 billion dollars for imports.

This means that the trade balance is in Paris’ favor of $ 817 million.

With Morocco, trade last year reached nearly $ 11.58 billion, of which $ 5.336 billion were French exports to Morocco.

Trade between France and Tunisia in 2019 reached about $ 9 billion, and exports of French products to Tunisia accounted for nearly $ 3.8 billion.

France’s exports to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt amount to around $ 14 billion, most of it to Qatar, reaching $ 4.295 billion.

The trade balance between France and Qatar is in Paris’ favor at $ 3.537 billion, as France imports goods worth just $ 758 million from Qatar, compared to exports of $ 4.295 billion.

The trade balance is also reversed to Paris in its trade with the UAE for $ 1.929 billion, as France exports more goods to the UAE than it imports from $ 1.929 billion (exports for $ 3.647 billion, imports for $ 1.718 billion).

Last year, exports of French products to Saudi Arabia amounted to 3.361 billion dollars and to Egypt 2.575 billion dollars.

It is noteworthy in the data from ITC Trade that France’s exports to Turkey in 2019 amounted to approximately $ 6.655 billion and, taking into account Paris’s trade with the aforementioned Arab countries, we find that France’s exports to the eight countries (Turkey , Algeria, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia, Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt) last year reached $ 35 billion.

The most important French media also shed light on the campaign to boycott French products, launched in many Arab and Islamic countries.

The newspaper Le Parisien said the campaign is expanding into the Arab world “at a time when many are rebelling against the French state’s support for the right to blasphemy and ridicule of sacred things.”

The newspaper referred to the boycott campaigns organized in Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as the vigil organized by dozens of people in front of the residence of the French ambassador to Israel.

The BFMTV website claims that “tension is growing between France and some Islamic countries”, coinciding with the boycott campaigns in the Gulf countries, Turkey and Iran.

The RFI website confirmed that the boycott campaign “could harm many French companies” and that the issue is not limited to food, as 430 travel agencies have decided to suspend the purchase of airline tickets to France.

On the other hand, 20 Minutes noted that the boycott campaign “aims to send more symbolic messages than harm the French economy”, which will not be affected much by the campaign.

The French Foreign Ministry said in recent days they have witnessed calls in several Middle Eastern countries to boycott French products, especially food, as well as calls to demonstrate against France due to the publication of cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad , blessings and peace upon him.

The French foreign ministry held that “these calls for a boycott are without foundation and must be stopped immediately, as well as all attacks against our country pushed by the extremist minority”.