Trade with China continues to grow

Over the past decade, Dutch imports from China have increased almost twelvefold. In the period 1996–2006, the value of imports from China rose from 2 to more than 23 billion euro. The increase is largely caused by an increase in the volume of goods rather than by higher prices.

Trade with China

Dutch imports from China mainly consist of computers. In 2006 imports of computers and computer components totalled almost 9 billion euro, an increase by 22 percent relative to 2005. An estimated 85 percent of Dutch computer imports from China are re-exported. Other important products imported from China by the Netherlands are telephones and fax machines, electrical equipment, toys, clothes and shoes.

Top 5 import products from China

Dutch exports to China also grow gradually and mainly consist of minerals and investment goods. China’s manufacturing industry is currently in full swing and there is great demand for these products. Exports of metal ore and scrap metal, electrical appliances (electron tubes and transistors), heating and cooling systems and synthetic materials increased in 2006 compared to the previous year.

Top 5 export products to China