Germany's foreign trade beat expectations in August despite a slowing global economy, data from the country's Federal Statistical Office revealed Wednesday.

Imports rose by 3.4 percent to 132 billion euros ($131 billion) for the month. Most of Germany's imports in August came from China, with the value of goods worth 15.4 billion euros, an increase of 2.2 percent from the prior month.

Growing demand from the U.S. and China helped to lift German exports by 1.6 percent from the previous month to 133 billion euros in August.

Exports to the U.S. jumped 12 percent to 13.8 billion euros, while those shipped to China were up by 2.9 percent to 9.2 billion euros.

Analysts polled by Reuters forecast both imports and exports to rise by 1.1 percent month on month.

On a yearly basis, exports increased by 18.1 percent and imports by 33.3 percent in August.

China has served as Germany's most prominent trading partner for six consecutive years as of 2021, official data showed.

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