China overtakes US as Germany’s top trading partner as Chancellor Merz visits Beijing
Feb 22nd 2026
New 2025 data show €251bn in trade with China, led by €170.6bn in imports, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz makes his first official trip to Beijing to meet Li Qiang and Xi Jinping.
- China was Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025 with €251bn in trade, up 2.2% from 2024.
- Germany imported €170.6bn from China and exported €81.3bn to China in 2025.
- Trade with the US fell to €240bn in 2025, down about 5%, with former president Donald Trump’s tariffs cited as a possible factor.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet Prime Minister Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping and will visit Mercedes-Benz, Siemens Energy, Unitree Robotics, the Forbidden City and Hangzhou.
- Germany’s major automakers, including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are heavily dependent on the Chinese market.
- The EU is pursuing derisking measures as China dominates supplies of rare earths and critical minerals like lithium, and 2024 tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles have had limited impact on sales.