China tops Germany's trade in 2025 on stronger bilateral flows

China has once again become Germany's most important trading partner, according to the latest data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Friday.

The data shows that the total volume of imports and exports between Germany and the People's Republic of China reached 251.8 billion euros ($296.6 billion) in 2025.

Germany's goods trade with China grew by 2.1 percent year-on-year. The statistics office highlighted that China has consistently been Germany's most significant source of imports since 2015. In 2025, German imports from China totaled 170.6 billion euros, while exports to China amounted to 81.3 billion euros.

During the same period, trade between Germany and the United States was impacted by U.S. tariff policies and trade disputes. The total trade volume for 2025 fell by 5.0 percent to 240.5 billion euros. German exports to the U.S. declined by 9.4 percent to 146.2 billion euros.

China had held the position of Germany's top trading partner for eight consecutive years until 2023, before the United States ranked first in 2024.

Germany's total goods exports saw a modest increase of 0.9 percent in 2025, reaching 1.563 trillion euros. Total imports rose by 4.3 percent to 1.3625 trillion euros. Consequently, the annual trade surplus stood at 200.5 billion euros, a decrease of 42.4 billion euros compared to 2024.

An earlier report by the German Economic Institute (IW) said the drop in exports to the United States had already shaved 0.81 percentage points off Germany's export growth in the first three quarters of 2025, with the contraction deepening further in the fourth quarter.

In a statement issued on February 6, the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA) said Germany's export sector continued to grapple with structural weaknesses, citing protectionist U.S. tariffs, persistent geopolitical tensions and weak global demand as major headwinds.

Volker Treier, head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), said 2025 had been a difficult year for exporters. "However, the positive trend in imports means that China has once again ranked as Germany's most important international market," he said, calling it a "consolation."

(With input from agencies)