China overtakes U.S. as Germany’s top trading partner

China has again replaced the United States as Germany’s top trading partner, with foreign trade turnover nudging up 0.6 per cent in the year to 185.9 billion Euros (215.4 billion dollars).

The Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden reported on Wednesday that the turnover from January to September was mainly due to large imports from China.

Meanwhile, the trade volume with the U.S. shrank by 3.9 per cent to 184.7 billion Euros.

China was Germany’s most important trading partner from 2016 to 2023, but was overtaken by the U.S. in 2024.

From January to September, Germany’s exports to China fell by some 12 per cent to 61.4 billion Euros – more sharply than exports to the U.S., which shrank by 7.8 per cent.

However, with an export volume of 112.7 billion euros, the U.S. remained the main export country for German goods, as it has been since 2015, in spite of the tariff dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.

China ranked only sixth in the list, with Car exports to both the U.S. and China slumping.

However, imports from China rose sharply by 8.5 per cent in the first nine months of 2025, while U.S. imports grew by just over two percentage points.

With imports worth 124.5 billion euros, China was by far the most important supplier country for Germany, well ahead of the Netherlands.

The U.S. ranked third with imports of almost 72 billion Euros.

Imports from China have risen particularly sharply so far this year in the areas of electrical equipment, clothing and machinery.

Germany’s Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is currently on a trip to China to promote cooperation with Beijing.