The EU's trade deficit with China now stands at €1 billion per day.

Omissions

• The €1 billion/day figure refers to the EU's trade in GOODS with China only; it excludes trade in services, where the EU runs a surplus with China, so the overall (goods + services) deficit is smaller.
• The deficit is driven as much by strong EU demand for Chinese imports as by Chinese barriers; the figure alone does not indicate the cause of the imbalance.
• The 'record' framing is period-dependent: the Q2 2026 quarterly deficit (€103bn) is the highest since Q3 2022 (€107bn), but Q3 2022 was actually larger on a quarterly basis, so the €1bn/day pace is not an all-time high on every measure.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — Trade in goods with China in 2025In 2025, the EU exported €199.6 billion worth of goods to China and imported €559.4 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of €359.8 billion.
• PrimaryEurostat — EU trade with China: latest developmentsThe EU trade in goods deficit with China in Q2 2026 (€103 billion) was the highest since Q3 2022 (€107 billion).
• SecondaryThe Guardian — EU trade deficit with China reaches record €1bn a dayThe EU's trade deficit with China has reached a record €1bn (£0.8bn) a day, according to official trade data.