The EU's trade deficit with China amounts to EUR 1 billion per day, or EUR 360 billion annually.

Omissions

• The MEP did not specify that this figure refers exclusively to the trade in goods, not total trade (goods plus services). The EU typically runs a services surplus with China, which partially offsets the goods deficit, though the services surplus is much smaller in magnitude.
• The claim uses the 2025 full-year figure. By the time of the speech in June 2026, Q1 2026 data from Eurostat showed the deficit had worsened to €98 billion for the quarter (up from €65 billion in Q1 2024), suggesting the annual deficit for 2026 could be significantly higher than €360 billion if that trend continued.
• The daily figure of €1 billion is a rounded approximation: €359.9 billion divided by 365 days equals approximately €986 million per day.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission – Trade Policy (EU trade relations with China)The 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 €312.2 billion deficit of 2024.
• PrimaryEurostat – Statistics Explained (EU trade with China – latest developments)The EU trade deficit in goods with China worsened from €65 billion in Q1 2024 to €98 billion in Q1 2026.
• SecondaryReutersThe EU's goods trade deficit with China increased by 2.7% in 2025 to 359.9 billion euros ($417.88 billion).