China has been Germany’s most important trading partner in terms of imports during the first five months of 2026. According to the Federal Statistical Office, German imports from China reached €72.4 billion between January and May 2026. This represented a 6.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Specifically, imports rose 2.1 percent in May 2026, reaching €14.0 billion, up from €13.7 billion in May 2025.
Conversely, German exports to China declined sharply during the first five months of 2026, decreasing by 14.5 percent to €29.6 billion. Due to the surge in imports combined with the drop in exports, the trade surplus with the People’s Republic of China expanded significantly to €42.8 billion in the January-May 2026 period. This is up from €33.5 billion in the same period in 2025, while the total trade surplus for the full year of 2025 stood at €89.9 billion.
Among the main imported goods from China in the first five months of 2026 were data processing devices, valued at €20.2 billion (a 4.4 percent increase year-over-year). This was followed by electrical equipment, worth €14.3 billion (+5.6 percent), and machinery, valued at €6.4 billion (+3.8 percent).
Many products essential for daily life, as well as materials crucial for the energy transition, are now largely sourced from China. For example, 81.8 percent of portable computers imported into Germany during the first five months of 2026 came from the Republic. Similarly, 66.3 percent of smartphones and 64.1 percent of lithium-ion batteries were imported from China. Furthermore, 23.5 percent of electric passenger cars imported into Germany originated there. Photoelements used in photovoltaic technology-whether as modules or panels-were also heavily sourced from China, accounting for 86.1 percent of imports between January and May 2026.
As for exports from Germany to China during the January-May 2026 period, the primary categories included machinery (€5.8 billion), data processing devices, electrical and optical products (€5.1 billion), and vehicles/vehicle parts (€4.7 billion). While exports of data processing equipment saw a slight increase of 0.9 percent, exports of machinery fell by 17.5 percent, and vehicle exports declined even more sharply, dropping 26.1 percent compared to the previous year.
Historically, vehicles and vehicle parts were Germany’s most important export category to China until 2024. In 2025, German exports of automobiles contracted steeply by 33.0 percent, reaching €13.6 billion from €20.3 billion in 2024.
