Chinese goods imports down for first time in 7 years
The Netherlands imported goods from China to the value of 104.3 billion euros in 2023. That was 20.8 billion euros less than a year earlier. The value of both true imorts and goods in transit fell. This development is consistent with a more general contraction in the volume of Chinese exports.
While imports from China decreased, exports of Dutch products to China rose by 20 percent in 2023. As a result, the Netherlands' trade balance with China improved by 24.5 billion euros. Nevertheless, this trade balance remains negative by a total of 81.9 billion euros.
| Jaar | Imports (bln euro) | Exports (bln euro) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2.3 | 0.6 |
| 1997 | 3.2 | 0.8 |
| 1998 | 4.0 | 0.7 |
| 1999 | 4.6 | 0.8 |
| 2000 | 8.7 | 1.1 |
| 2001 | 10.4 | 1.2 |
| 2002 | 12.0 | 1.6 |
| 2003 | 14.7 | 1.7 |
| 2004 | 19.0 | 2.3 |
| 2005 | 25.8 | 2.6 |
| 2006 | 31.0 | 3.3 |
| 2007 | 37.8 | 3.7 |
| 2008 | 40.4 | 4.0 |
| 2009 | 36.9 | 4.7 |
| 2010 | 49.1 | 5.5 |
| 2011 | 51.0 | 6.9 |
| 2012 | 54.9 | 8.0 |
| 2013 | 53.0 | 8.4 |
| 2014 | 56.8 | 8.3 |
| 2015 | 66.2 | 9.5 |
| 2016 | 63.6 | 10.5 |
| 2017 | 74.3 | 12.2 |
| 2018 | 75.7 | 12.6 |
| 2019 | 79.0 | 13.9 |
| 2020 | 83.0 | 15.5 |
| 2021 | 97.7 | 16.0 |
| 2022 | 125.1 | 18.7 |
| 2023 | 104.3 | 22.4 |
Fewer ICT products from China
The decline in import value was seen across 71 percent of the commodity groups imported from China. The four biggest falls were in the following commodity groups: computers, laptops and tablets; telephones, modems and routers; chips, semiconductor components and solar panels; and televisions. Together, these commodity groups accounted for a decline of 12.4 billion euros. The biggest fall in was in the category of computers, laptops and tablets, with a contraction of 6.7 billion euros. Of that, 5.4 billion euros was due to fewer laptops being imported from China (from 18.2 billion euros in 2022, to 12.7 billion euros in 2023). Another big drop was in the category of routers and modems, with a fall of 1.7 billion euros. The import value of light-sensitive semiconductors from China also declined by 1.1 billion euros.
The category of goods imported from China that saw the biggest increase was passenger cars. For this commodity group, the import value rose from 107.6 million euros in 2022 to 1.1 billion euros in 2023.
| Jaar | 2022 (bln euro) | 2023 (bln euro) |
|---|---|---|
| Computers, laptops and tablets | 22.6 | 15.9 |
| Televisions | 3.7 | 2.6 |
| Telephones, modems and routers | 21 | 18 |
| Chips, semiconducter components and solar panels | 12.8 | 11.3 |
| Passenger cars | 0.1 | 1.1 |
More products from Taiwan
Over 43 percent of imported computers, laptops and tablets came from China in 2023, compared with 57 percent the previous year. Taiwan was one beneficiary of this shift: the import value of Taiwanese goods in these categories was three times higher than the previous year. The import value of these goods from Taiwan was 2.2 billion euros in 2022, and rose to 6.7 billion euros in the following year. Taiwan’s share thus grew from 5.5 percent to 18.4 percent. That is the second largest market share in the category of computers, laptops and tablets. The import volume was up by 290 percent over 2022.
| Land | 2022 (bln euro) | 2023 (bln euro) |
|---|---|---|
| China | 22.6 | 15.9 |
| Taiwan | 2.2 | 6.7 |