BERLIN, Nov. 19 (NA/Xinhua) -- China reclaimed its position as Germany's largest trading partner in the first nine months of 2025, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) published on Wednesday. Total trade between Germany and China reached 185.9 billion euros (215.13 billion U.S. dollars) from January to September, an increase of 0.6% compared to the same period last year, Destatis noted. It indicated that Germany imported 124.5 billion euros (144.08 billion U.S. dollars) worth of goods from China during that period, 8.5% more than the previous year, driven mainly by electrical equipment, clothing, and machinery. On the other hand, German exports to China fell by 12.3% to 61.4 billion euros (71.06 billion U.S. dollars) during the same period, Destatis added. The office stated that Germany's trade with the United States decreased by 3.9% to 184.7 billion euros (213.74 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of the year. While exports to the U.S. fell by 7.8% to 112.7 billion euros (130.42 billion U.S. dollars) and imports increased by 2.8% to 71.9 billion euros (83.21 billion U.S. dollars). Destatis attributed the changes to weak global demand, a complex trade environment, and adjustments in traditional German industries, such as automotive. Trade Deficit According to the organization, China was Germany's largest trading partner from 2016 to 2023, before being briefly overtaken by the U.S. in 2024. Germany is facing a record trade deficit of 87 billion euros (101.46 billion U.S. dollars) with China this year, according to a forecast from the state-owned foreign economic promotion agency Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) seen by Reuters. The deficit in the value of exports versus imports will surpass the previous record of 2022, which was just over 84 billion euros, GTAI said. "This is an imbalance, and it is certainly not in our interest," commented Christina Otte, regional director of GTAI. Due to changes in trade dynamics caused by tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, China reclaimed its position as Germany's main trading partner from January to August 2025, a title it had held for eight years until the American nation took it over last year. However, Germany has sought to diversify its supply chains and reduce its dependence on China for critical products such as chips and rare earths, so that its economy is less exposed to trade tensions, as well as disruptions in transport and logistics. As a recent sign of these tensions, Germany's Foreign Minister canceled a planned trip to China last month with little notice. On the one hand, Otte pointed out that the trade imbalance is due to the weakness of German exports to China, which are expected to fall by more than 11% this year. "China is losing ground as a customer market."
