Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that the German Foreign Trade Federation (BGA) believes there are clear signs that Chinese products originally intended for the U.S. market are turning to Europe.
Dirk Jandura, chairman of the federation, said, “It is no coincidence that China’s exports to Germany have jumped from last year.” He expressed the belief that this was a direct consequence of U.S. President Trump’s tariff war. “Goods that cannot be exported to the United States are now turning to the European market in increasing numbers,” he added.
According to Chinese customs data, China’s exports to the United States fell sharply by 34.5 percent in May, the largest drop since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. In contrast, China’s exports to Europe rose by 12 percent. Meanwhile, based on data from the German Federal Statistical Office, imports from China increased by more than 10 percent to 67.5 billion euros in the first five months of this year. BGA also indicated that data on air freight and container business in the past few weeks showed that significantly more goods could be heading to Europe.
Due to high U.S. tariffs, Chinese e-commerce exports to the U.S. have fallen sharply – a decline of around 43 percent year-on-year in May. This trend is expected to continue, and e-commerce exports to Europe are expected to increase in June. The German Retail Federation (HDE) indicated that the competition from Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Shein and Temu is increasing. “These goods are instead pouring into Europe,” said Alexander von Preen, president of HDE. The German toy industry has been hit hard in particular.
BGA Chairman Dirk Jandura also pointed out that the rise in Chinese exports to Germany is not only a consequence of U.S. tariffs, but also a clear symptom of massive Chinese overcapacity.
Source: DW Chinese, July 10, 2025
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