US falls behind China as Germany’s top trading partner: Reuters

China unseated the U.S. as Germany’s top trading partner, according to data from the first eight months of the year. 

​​”There is no question that U.S. tariff and trade policy is an important reason for the decline in sales,” said Dirk Jandura, president of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services, told Reuters, citing President Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda.

China’s trade relationship with Germany was valued at 163.4 billion euros ($190.7 billion) based on imports and exports from January to August, while the German-U.S. trade partnership was valued at 162.8 billion euros, according to Reuters calculations.

China’s exports to Germany rose 8.3 percent in the first eight months of 2025 while U.S. exports fell by 13.5 percent, according to year-over-year data reported by Reuters.

German exports to the U.S. have also decreased by 7.4 percent compared with data from last year.

Chinese trade with Germany exceeded the U.S.’s trade from 2016 to 2023.

In August, the Trump administration announced a trade deal with the European Union, which encompasses trade relations with Germany and 26 other member nations. 

Under the agreement, there is a 15 percent import tax on 70 percent of foreign products exported to the U.S.

Trade within the wine and spirit sector in addition to steel is still under review. 

“Faced with a challenging situation, we have delivered for our member states and industry and restored clarity and coherence to transatlantic trade,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in August, according to The Associated Press. 

“This is not the end of the process.”

Maroš Šefčovič, a trade official at the European Commission, lauded the agreement, stating the “alternative was a trade war with sky-high tariffs. … It builds confidence. It brings stability.”