Germany’s Top Trading Partners 2025: China Leads — But Imbalance Widens

🇩🇪 Germany’s Top Trading Partners 2025: China Leads — But Imbalance Widens

CMB News | Trade & Industry | February 2026

China has reclaimed its position as Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025, driven by a sharp rise in imports and declining German exports to the People’s Republic. The latest trade data underline a significant shift in Germany’s external balance.

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📊 Trade Overview 2025 (in € bn)

Country	Imports	Exports
China	170.6	81.3
Netherlands	96.7	112.5
USA	94.3	146.2
Poland	80.5	99.9
Italy	72.5	83.5
France	69.0	117.4
Czech Republic	62.2	53.5
Switzerland	55.5	73.9
Austria	54.1	80.0
United Kingdom	38.6	79.9

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🔎 Key Takeaways

🇨🇳 China

• Imports from China: €170.6 bn
• Exports to China: €81.3 bn
• Germany runs a substantial trade deficit
• Imports more than double exports

China’s dominance stems primarily from:

• Machinery
• Electrical equipment
• Data processing devices and electronics

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🇺🇸 United States

• Germany’s largest export market (€146.2 bn)
• Imports lower than China (€94.3 bn)
• Overall trade volume declined vs. previous year

Despite new U.S. tariffs introduced in 2025, the U.S. remains Germany’s most important export destination.

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🇳🇱🇫🇷🇵🇱 EU Partners Remain Crucial

The Netherlands, France and Poland continue to play major roles in Germany’s trade structure:

• The Netherlands acts partly as a logistics hub
• France remains a strong export destination
• Poland continues to integrate into German supply chains

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⚖️ Structural Shift in Trade Balance

The 2025 figures show:

• Germany’s export model is under pressure in China.
• China has evolved from a key export market into a dominant supplier.
• The bilateral trade surplus is now firmly on China’s side.

This reflects:

• China’s industrial upgrading
• Growing domestic production in sectors where Germany previously exported heavily (e.g., automotive)
• Geopolitical trade realignments

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📈 CMB Outlook

Germany’s trade landscape is entering a structurally more complex phase:

1. Higher import dependency on China
2. Export vulnerability due to U.S. tariffs
3. Increasing competitive pressure in industrial goods

The data confirm that China’s return as Germany’s top trading partner reflects not export strength, but rising import reliance and a widening trade imbalance.