The shift is largely attributable to the tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump, which have weighed on German exports
China has overtaken the US as Germany’s leading trading partner in the first eight months of 2025, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing preliminary data from the German statistics office.
The shift comes as Washington has imposed significant tariffs on goods from the EU under US President Donald Trump. Most European goods currently face a 15% tariff while the rate on automobiles is 25%.
German imports and exports with China amounted to €163.4 billion ($190.7 billion) from January to August, while Germany’s bilateral trade with the US totaled €162.8 billion, according to the figures.
German exports to the US dropped to €99.6 billion in January-August, down 7.4% from a year earlier, reflecting weaker demand for German cars, machinery and chemicals, according to the report. Although German imports of US goods rose by about 9% over January-July 2025, according to US data, Germany exports far more to the US than it imports, giving the over 7% decline in exports more weight in the overall trade figures.
The US tariffs have had a disrupting influence on global trade and have affected American trade with numerous countries, Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Union Studies at Renmin University of China, said, as cited by the Global Times. He highlighted the mutual benefits of globalization and bilateral cooperation in contrast to the policies followed by Washington.
Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro at ING, told Reuters that a rebound in German exports to the US was “unlikely in the near term.”
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