EU-China trade relations: Where do we stand, where should we go?

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, China's share in European trade has fallen continuously. Nevertheless, the country remains the EU's largest source of imports (20.5 percent in 2023) and its third largest export destination (8.7 percent). • This apparent dominance of China is put into perspective when incorporating intra-EU trade. For example, Germany - Europe's largest economy - sent 6.1 percent of its exports to China, but 55 percent to EU members states. For imports, the Chinese and European shares are 11.5 percent and 52.7 percent, respectively. • Decoupling the EU from China (i.e. almost eliminating bilateral trade) would permanently reduce European real income by 0.8 percent in the long-run. In terms of gross domestic product in 2023, the EU would forego 136 billion EUR of value added every year. Short-term effects are likely to be stronger. • China dominates global production of important products such as laptops and mobile phones as well as raw materials including Germanium and Gallium that are critical for the green energy transition. A trade disruption might thus both delay the energy transition and increase its costs. • To reduce specific dependencies, the EU should intensify its efforts to diversify procurement by increasing the attractiveness of alternative suppliers. Finding the courage to move forward in the negotiation of free trade agreements with potential strategic partners such as Australia and the Mercosur countries would strengthen the EU's geopolitical position and increase prosperity among partners.