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China overtakes the USA: new leader in German trade!
China has overtaken the USA as Germany's most important trading partner, with a foreign trade turnover of 185.9 billion euros.
China overtakes the USA: new leader in German trade!
China has overtaken the USA as Germany's most important trading partner. A comprehensive analysis of foreign trade shows that sales with China in the first nine months of 2025 are an impressive 185.9 billion euros. Compared to the previous year, this represents a slight increase of 0.6%. This is in stark contrast to the trade volume with the USA, which fell by 3.9% to 184.7 billion euros. This shift indicates a change in trading dynamics that has been particularly noticeable in recent years.
A look into the past shows that China was the most important trading partner from 2016 to 2023, but was displaced by the USA in 2024. The current numbers from Northern Courier published show that Germany's exports to China fell by over 12% to 61.4 billion euros, while exports to the USA fell by 7.8%. Despite these declines, the USA remains the most important export country for German goods, with an export volume of 112.7 billion euros since 2015.
But what makes China so important for Germany? Imports from China rose by 8.5% in the first nine months of 2025 and totaled 124.5 billion euros, making China the most important supplier country for Germany. In comparison, the USA takes third place in this category with almost 72 billion euros. The increases in imports in the areas of electrical equipment, clothing and machinery are particularly strong, which shows that German industry is dependent on a wide range of Chinese products.
The role of the USA and the geopolitical implications
Despite the declines, the USA continues to play an important role in German foreign trade. In 2023, the country's foreign trade turnover was 253 billion euros, just behind China, which finished with 254 billion euros. Germany's most important export markets are noisy Federal Agency for Civic Education structured as follows:
| country | Export share (%) | Sales (trillion euros) |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 9.9% | 158 |
| France | 7.6% | 120.2 |
| Netherlands | 7.3% | 115.4 |
| China | 6.1% | 97.3 |
| Poland | 5.8% | 91.9 |
These figures illustrate the central role that trading partners play for the German economy. While foreign trade within Europe accounts for around two thirds of the total foreign trade volume, China comes into play as the most important import market with a share of 11.5%. The trade balance also shows a deficit of 59.8 billion euros against China, which underlines the dependence on Chinese goods.
A look into the future
Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) is currently traveling to China to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. This could open up new perspectives for the German economy and take trade relations to a new level. In times of geopolitical tensions, it is even more important that Germany has a good hand in shaping its international relations.
Developments in foreign trade are therefore not just numbers on paper, but also have far-reaching economic and political implications that should be further monitored in the future. It remains exciting to see how trade dynamics develop and whether China can continue to maintain its leadership position.