China surpasses Germany to become UK's largest import trading partner

On May 25 , according to data released by the UK Office for National Statistics ( ONS ) , the total trade volume of goods (including imports and exports) between the UK and non-EU countries exceeded that of EU countries in the first quarter of 2021, while China surpassed Germany to become the UK's largest source of imports. This is the first time since records began that China has surpassed Germany to become the UK's largest single import market.

The Office for National Statistics said that since the second quarter of 2020 (April to June), the UK has imported more goods from China than from any other country, and the trend has been upward. Compared with the first quarter of 2018, the UK's imports from China in the first quarter of this year accounted for 16.1% of the UK's total imports, and the import volume also increased by 66% , reaching 16.9 billion pounds (24 billion U.S. dollars).

At the same time, the UK's total trade in goods with EU countries (including imports and exports) fell by 23.1% , with imports from Germany falling by a quarter ( £12.5 billion ) ; trade with countries outside the EU fell by only 0.8% during the same period.

The report pointed out that the main reason for this change was Brexit, which reduced imports of goods from Europe. Secondly, the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused economic downturns in various countries, while China continued to grow ( 18.3% ) during the pandemic , stimulating the UK's demand for Chinese goods.

The data also showed that due to the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the UK has increased its demand for Chinese textiles used to make masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) , importing a large amount of textiles for masks and other personal protective equipment from China . In addition, the demand for electronic equipment has also increased.

It is reported that the report released by the National Statistics Office aims to assess the impact of Brexit and the new coronavirus on the UK's commodity trade . The survey shows that except for the six months at the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001 , Germany has always been the UK's most important import market , but since April 2019, the UK's imports from Germany have declined, which coincides with the increased uncertainty caused by Brexit and the timing of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

China

U.K.

trading