China’s trade grip tightens in Europe as clock ticks towards October deadline

As Brussels continues its push to rebalance ties, the latest data show China’s trade surplus expanded over all but three EU members in July

China extended its trade surplus over all but three EU members in July compared to a year earlier, calculations based on new Chinese customs figures showed. In some instances, the monthly swing was dramatic.

China’s surplus with Sweden quadrupled, while for Malta it rose by 166.6 per cent. For Romania it expanded 94.4 per cent, and for Finland 93.7 per cent.

For the bloc’s biggest economies, Germany’s deficit shot up 86.5 per cent compared to July 2025, Poland’s was up 31.9 per cent, the Netherlands rose 14.5 per cent, Spain by 12.4 per cent and France by 4.2 per cent.

While the bloc’s officials are not entirely fixated on trade deficits, they have become a symbol of concerns about undeclared Chinese state subsidies and industrial overcapacities that have spilled over from spreadsheets to open geoeconomic rivalry.