Trade between the European Union and China continued to expand in value terms last year, but the balance remained heavily tilted in China’s favour, according to Eurostat data.
The EU exported €199.6 billion worth of goods to China in 2025, while imports from China reached €559.4 billion. This resulted in a trade deficit of €359.8 billion.
On a year-on-year basis, i.e. compared with 2024, the gap widened further. EU exports to China fell by 6.5%, while imports increased by 6.4%. Over a longer period, however, trade volumes have grown substantially: since 2015, exports have risen by 37%, while imports have nearly doubled, increasing by 89%.
Sector by sector
On a sector-by-sector basis, machinery and mechanical appliances were the EU’s largest export category to China, accounting for €45.3 billion, or 22.7% of total exports to the Asian country, Eurostat noted.
Electrical machinery and components followed at €29 billion, while vehicles, precision instruments, and pharmaceuticals also made significant contributions. Together, the top five export categories represented 59.8% of all EU goods sold to China.
Imports from China were even more concentrated, with electrical machinery and electronic equipment the largest category, at €164.9 billion, making up almost 30% of all imports. Machinery and mechanical appliances followed at €106.5 billion.
Other major imports included organic chemicals (€34.1 billion; 6.1%), vehicles (€29.9 billion; 5.4%), and consumer goods such as furniture and lighting products (€21.3 billion; 3.8%). The top five import categories accounted for 63.8% of all imported goods.
Leading origin
‘China has long been the EU’s leading origin of imports of goods and although China is also a large destination of EU exports of goods these are much lower than imports,’ Eurostat noted. ‘Since there is relatively little variation in EU exports to China, the level of the trade balance is largely determined by EU imports from China.
‘Between 2015 and 2022, imports from China grew from €296 billion to a peak of €629 billion, causing a peak deficit of €398 billion. Imports dropped to €521 billion in 2023 but grew to €559 billion in 2025. Consequently, the EU trade deficit in goods with China stood at €360 billion in 2025.’ Read more here.
