Last year, for the first time, all European Union countries recorded a trade deficit with China, including Germany.

Omissions

• The claim that ALL EU countries individually recorded a trade deficit with China in 2025 could not be fully verified with per-country bilateral trade data. Only aggregate EU27 data (€359.9 billion deficit) was found in available sources.
• The claim asserts this happened 'for the first time', but historical time-series data by member state was not found to confirm whether any EU country previously maintained a surplus with China in earlier years.
• The European Commission source notes the deficit increased by 2.7% year-on-year in 2025, while the Bruegel analysis states it 'declined marginally', suggesting some ambiguity about the trend direction.
• The per-country breakdown would require consulting Eurostat's detailed bilateral trade database (DS-045409 or Comext), which was not accessible within the search constraints.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Trade PolicyThe EU has long had a trade deficit in goods with China. It increased by 2.7% year-on-year in 2025, amounting to €359.9 billion last year and surpassing the previous record.
• PrimaryDestatis (German Federal Statistical Office)China is Germany's most important trading partner once again in 2025. Total trade volume for 2025 fell by 5.0 percent to 240.5 billion euros. Germany's export surplus in 2025 is 42.4 billion euros lower than in the previous year.
• PrimaryEurostat — Statistics ExplainedThe EU trade in goods deficit with China in Q1 2026 (€98 billion) was the highest since Q3 2022 (€107 billion). Imports fluctuate more than exports.
• SecondaryBruegelThe EU's deficit with China widened after 2020, but declined marginally in 2025 – even though China reoriented its trade and surplus away from the US towards other regions.