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China widens trade surplus with most EU states during Beijing talks

July data based on new Chinese customs figures showed sharp swings, including Sweden’s surplus quadrupling and Germany’s deficit rising 86.5% versus July 2025.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

During a three-month negotiating period with Beijing, new figures indicate China’s trade surplus expanded across most European Union member states, keeping pressure on the bloc’s debate over China-linked trade policy, according to SCMP Economy.

Calculations using new Chinese customs data showed that in July China increased its surplus over all but three EU members compared with a year earlier. The reported monthly swings were large in several countries, including Sweden, where the surplus quadrupled, and Malta, where it rose 166.6%.

The data also pointed to bigger gaps for some of the EU’s largest economies. Germany’s trade deficit jumped 86.5% versus July 2025, while Poland’s was up 31.9%, the Netherlands rose 14.5%, Spain increased 12.4%, and France climbed 4.2%.

SCMP Economy said EU officials are not solely focused on headline deficits, but the figures have become a symbol of broader concerns about undeclared Chinese state subsidies and industrial overcapacity, which have escalated into wider geoeconomic rivalry among governments.

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