China and Germany
Trade and industrial integration coexist with technological competition and political differences. China supplies numerous inputs and goods to the German market, and Germany sells industrial products in China. The debate over dependencies and reciprocal market access forms part of the relationship, not a rupture of all ties.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07The scale of industrial chains
Destatis puts bilateral merchandise trade in 2025 at 251,800 million euros, with China again Germany's leading trade partner.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 251,844.88 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Goods: China to Germany | 170,593.22 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Goods: Germany to China | 81,251.65 M EUR | 2025 · Destatis |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: China to Germany | ||
| Export share: Germany to China | ||
| Investment stock: China in Germany | ||
| Investment stock: Germany in China |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
- Goods: China to Germany
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
- Goods: Germany to China
- 2025 · Destatis · Goods; Germany as reporter. FOB exports and CIF imports; January–December. Not a sum of mirror statistics.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Year-on-year inflation: different periods or frequencies; the two figures are not directly comparable.
| Indicator | China | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 19.5 trillion USD2025 · WB | 5.05 trillion USD2025 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 13,861.97 USD2025 · WB | 60,496.44 USD2025 · WB |
| GDP growth | 4.96 %2025 · WB | 0.24 %2025 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 1.4 %2026-09-24 · PBoC | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE |
| Inflation · annual average | 0.06 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 2.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 0.8 %Year-on-year · Aug. 2026 · NBS China | 3.3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Destatis |
| Unemployment | 4.62 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.71 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -7.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -2.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 99.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 62.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 3.77 %2025 · WB | 4.51 %2025 · WB |
| Population | 1,406,585,0002025 · WB | 83,491,2492025 · WB |
| Area | 9,562,910 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 357,680 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDChina: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personChina: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)China: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)China: 2026-09-24 · PBoC: 7-day reverse repo · People’s Bank of China · Published: 2026-09-24 · Rate of the official operation consulted, not the mortgage LPR or the PSL lending rate. Subsequent operations with zero volume are not converted into a 0% interest rate.Germany: 2026-09-16 · ECB: deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)China: 2025 · Average annual CPI change (%) · World BankGermany: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedChina: 2026-08 · Headline CPI change relative to the same month of the previous year (%) · National Bureau of Statistics of China · Published: 2026-09-09 · National headline year-on-year CPI, not monthly inflation or an annual average.Germany: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Destatis · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionChina: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.Germany: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)China: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPChina: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Population
- PeopleChina: 2025 · World BankGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceChina: 2023 · Total area including inland waters; territorial coverage of the source · World Bank · FAOGermany: 2023 · Area according to the series' coverage; does not determine sovereignty or effective control · World Bank
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
China to Germany
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Germany to China
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Businesses and diplomatic contacts sustain channels between the countries, even as economic cooperation coexists with political differences. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from China living in Germany | ||
| Residents from Germany living in China | ||
| Study and training: China in Germany | ||
| Study and training: Germany in China | ||
| Academic stays: China in Germany | ||
| Academic stays: Germany in China | ||
| Travel: China to Germany | ||
| Travel: Germany to China |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Diplomatic relations since 1972
Diplomatic relations were established in 1972. Germany's Federal Foreign Office describes China as a partner, competitor and systemic rival, following the 2023 strategy and the European framework. The three dimensions can coexist: collaboration on global issues, business competition and differences over political organisation. That institutional formulation does not mean that every economic project is strategic cooperation or that negotiation is no longer possible. [1]
The scale of industrial chains
Destatis puts bilateral merchandise trade in 2025 at 251,800 million euros, with China again Germany's leading trade partner. The table provides each direction using the same German reporter. Imports and exports are not balanced. The total describes goods, not services or production by German affiliates within China; a substantial trade relationship can combine competition with supply complementarities. [2]
Rare earths and exposure of specific sectors
The Destatis publication on rare earths documents that China supplied more than half of Germany's imports of that group in 2025. These materials have industrial applications, and their supply is an issue distinct from total trade. Dependence on an input does not justify extrapolating the same share to the entire economy. It matters which product, alternative suppliers and stage of the chain the statistic covers. [3]
Reciprocity and the European framework
The German description highlights competition conditions, market access and human rights among bilateral issues. As a European Union member, Germany participates in a common trade policy; tariff decisions are not solely a national negotiation with Beijing. Maintaining businesses and diplomatic contacts can coexist with risk-reduction measures or political criticism. A government's position must be distinguished from that of each business. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
The trade outcome for 2025
The February 2026 publication establishes an observed annual figure, not a prediction of the future relationship. The April publication examines a specific group of inputs. Both help identify two scales: merchandise as a whole and sensitive materials. Assessing subsequent changes requires the same period and coverage, without comparing a few months of 2026 with all of 2025 or attributing every change to a single diplomatic cause. [2] [3]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 251,844.88 million EUR. Shipments from China to Germany were 170,593.22 million EUR, and those in the opposite direction were 81,251.65 million EUR. A single reporter is used for both directions. The difference between those flows describes that source's goods balance, not the entire economic balance: services, affiliate activity and investment have independent measures. [4]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Germany and China: bilateral relations
Germany's Federal Foreign Office · Institutional source · Document: 2026-03-12 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- China again Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025
Destatis · Institutional source · Document: 2026-02-20 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Rare-earth imports in 2025
Destatis · Institutional source · Document: 2026-04 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- 51000-02 exports / 51000-03 imports; C Jan–Dec 2025; thousand EUR divided by 1000
Destatis · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07