In 2024, China became the EU’s largest partner for imports of goods, while ranking third for EU exports. The EU exported goods worth €213.3 billion to China and imported €517.8 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of €304.5 billion, according to the latest Eurostat data.
Notably, Ireland and Luxembourg were the only EU countries to report trade surpluses with China, while the remaining 25 EU nations faced trade deficits. The Netherlands recorded the largest deficit, at €85 billion. In terms of total imports, China accounted for 21.3% of the EU’s imports, followed by the United States at 13.7% and the United Kingdom at 6.8%. For exports, China was the EU’s third-largest partner after the United States (20.6%) and the United Kingdom (13.2%).
In comparison to 2023, both imports and exports saw a decline in 2024, with imports dropping by 0.5% and exports by 4.5%. Between 2014 and 2024, imports from China to the EU surged by 101.9%, while exports grew by 47.0%.
The top EU importers of Chinese goods were the Netherlands (€109 billion), Germany (€96 billion), and Italy (€50 billion). On the export side, Germany (€90 billion), France (€24 billion), and the Netherlands (€24 billion) were the largest exporters to China.
Manufactured goods made up the majority of both EU exports and imports. EU exports were dominated by machinery and vehicles (51%), followed by other manufactured goods (20%) and chemicals (17%). For imports, manufactured goods represented 97% of total imports, with primary goods making up only 2%. The top imported products from China included electrical machinery, telecommunications equipment, and office machines, with these categories accounting for nearly 40% of total imports from China.
