EU says trade deficit with China hits €1 billion a day

September 16, 2026 at 01:00 PM1 min

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's trade deficit with China has reached €1 billion a day. She called the situation critical and said it is driving deindustrialization in European industrial centers. Brussels is in dialogue with Beijing to rebalance trade, but von der Leyen did not specify what steps the Commission will take.

Key Facts

EU trade deficit with China reached €1 billion per day, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
China-EU trade turnover grew 12.4% since the start of the year to over $608 billion.
China exported $425.294 billion worth of goods to the EU, while EU exports to China were $182.804 billion.
Von der Leyen said the situation has reached a critical point and is leading to deindustrialization in European industrial centers.

Von der Leyen's Warning

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's trade deficit with China has reached €1 billion a day. She said the situation has reached a critical point, with some calling it a second China shock. Von der Leyen said the shock is already visible at factories across the European Union and is leading to deindustrialization in industrial centers. She noted that Brussels is in dialogue with China to rebalance trade, but did not specify what steps the European Commission will take to protect European industry from unfair competition.

Trade Data

China-EU trade turnover grew 12.4% since the start of the year to over $608 billion. China exported $425.294 billion worth of goods to the EU, while EU exports to China were $182.804 billion. The resulting trade deficit is over $242 billion.