BERLIN (Reuters) – The United States overtook China as Germany’s biggest trading partner in the first half of 2024, according to preliminary data from the German statistics office, as Berlin’s drive to reduce dependence on Beijing takes shape amid a resilient U.S. economy.
Germany’s imports and exports to the world’s biggest economy totaled about 127 billion euros ($139 billion) from January to June, while those to China were 122 billion euros, according to Reuters calculations based on the data.
The US had already overtaken China in the first quarter, after 2023 marked the eighth year in a row that China remained Germany’s top partner, by a few hundred million.
The change comes as Germany has said it wants to reduce its exposure to China, citing political differences and accusing Beijing of “unfair practices”, although it has been vague on policy measures.
Lola Machleid, foreign trade expert at the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), told Reuters that the resilience of the US economy had helped boost Germany’s exports.
Overall, German exports to the US increased by 3.3% to almost 81 billion euros in the six months, while trade with China shrank by almost 3% to just over 48 billion euros.
Imports from China fell almost 8% to €73.5 billion, while imports from the US fell 3.4% to €46.1 billion, supported by supplies of energy commodities.
“Given the current geopolitical uncertainty and the uncertain continued economic development, not only in the US and China, but also here in Germany, it is difficult to predict how the neck-and-neck race will continue to develop,” says Machleid. .
($1 = 0.9158 euros)
(Reporting by Rene Wagner; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Mark Potter)