According to the latest figures released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday, China has once again become Germany's most important trading partner.
Data show that the total volume of imports and exports between Germany and the People's Republic of China will reach 251.8 billion euros ($296.6 billion) in 2025.
Trade in German goods with China increased by 2.1 percent year-on-year. The statistics office pointed out that China has been the most important source of German imports since 2015. In 2025, German imports from China amounted to 170.6 billion euros, while exports to China reached 81.3 billion euros.
During the same period, trade between Germany and the United States was affected by US tariff policies and trade disputes. Total trade volume fell by 5.0 percent to €240.5 billion, while German exports to the US fell by 9.4 percent to €146.2 billion.
China held the position of Germany's largest trading partner for eight consecutive years until 2023, before the United States took the top spot in 2024.
Germany's total exports of goods in 2025 rose slightly by 0.9 percent to 1.563 trillion euros, while imports increased by 4.3 percent to 1.3625 trillion euros. The annual trade surplus thus amounted to 200.5 billion euros, down 42.4 billion euros from 2024.
An earlier report by the German Economic Institute (IW) stated that the decline in exports to the US had already reduced German export growth by 0.81 percentage points in the first three quarters of 2025, with the decline deepening in the fourth quarter.
In a statement on 6 February, the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA) said the German export sector continues to face structural weaknesses, with protectionist US tariffs, ongoing geopolitical tensions and weak global demand being the main obstacles.
Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), said 2025 was a challenging year for exporters. „However, the positive trend in imports means that China has once again positioned itself as Germany's most important international market,“ he said, calling it „comforting.“.
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