For the first time last year, the EU imported more Chinese cars and machine tools than it exported European cars and machine tools, particularly German ones.
62% confidence
EconomyEuropean Union
Omissions
The claim bundles cars and machine tools together. While the car trade deficit is well-documented and clearly confirms that part of the claim, no specific EU-level data was found comparing imports of Chinese machine tools versus EU exports of machine tools to China in 2025.
The ACEA data covers new vehicles only; used vehicles and parts may alter the total trade picture, though the EY analysis cited in a related verification indicates the overall vehicle and parts trade also shows a deficit.
The IEA data on Chinese-made electric cars (940,000 units sold in Europe in 2025) covers only electric vehicles, not all Chinese car imports, but even this subset alone vastly exceeds the 161,514 EU vehicle exports to China.
Machine tool trade data from VDW (German Machine Tool Builders' Association) for Q1 2025 shows declining German exports overall but does not provide a China-specific import/export comparison needed to verify this part of the claim.
Sources were published after the session date of 2026-06-17, though the data they contain describes 2025, which the MEP could have known from preliminary figures or trade press.
Sources
PrimaryIEA Global EV Outlook 2026In Europe, sales of Chinese-made electric cars grew almost 50% from 2024 levels to reach about 940,000 in 2025. The EU net trade balance narrowed as imports went up around 35% year-on-year to reach more than 900,000 in 2025.
SecondaryACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers' Association)In 2025, China accounted for 5% of the EU vehicle export market. 161,514 new vehicles were exported from the EU to China. Chinese-made cars were imported into the EU in significantly larger volumes.
SecondaryVDW (German Machine Tool Builders' Association)Q1 2025: German machine tool manufacturers exported around 74% of their total production. Imports into Germany declined by 5%. No China-specific import/export comparison is provided.