🇩🇪 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.
📊 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 |
🔎 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
🇺🇸 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.
🇳🇱🇫🇷🇵🇱 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
⚖️ 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
📈 CMB Outlook
Germany’s trade landscape is entering a structurally more complex phase:
- Higher import dependency on China
- Export vulnerability due to U.S. tariffs
- 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.








