Dutch exports to China up again while Germany’s have fallen

© CBS
In 2024, the value of Dutch exports to China increased by 7 percent, while Germany’s exports to China decreased by 8 percent. Export values from the Netherlands to China have risen steadily in recent years, but Germany’s declined in both 2023 and 2024. Declining exports from Germany to China also affect exports from the Netherlands to Germany. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of the latest figures.
The value of Germany’s exports to China increased slightly in 2022, but declined sharply in 2023 and continued to decline in 2024. By contrast, Dutch exports to China increased in value throughout these years.

Despite this recent decline, exports to China remain more important for Germany than for the Netherlands. China’s share in total German goods exports fell from 7.6 percent in 2021 to 5.7 percent in 2024, but its share in Dutch goods exports increased, from 2.2 percent to 2.8 percent. In 2021, Germany’s export volume to China was 6.5 times larger than the Dutch export volume, but by 2024 it was less than four times larger.

In 2024, the volume of Dutch exports to China was approximately 10 percent larger than it was in 2021, while Germany’s exports to China were down by around 26 percent. However, between 2023 and 2024 the volume of both Dutch and German exports to China declined. In the case of Germany, the total value of its exports also fell, but for the Netherlands it actually rose due to higher prices.


Growth in Dutch machinery exports, contraction in German car exports

For the Netherlands, only exports of machinery – and in particular specialised machinery such as equipment used to produce semiconductors – have increased sharply in value since 2021. Machinery is also the largest product group by far when it comes to Dutch exports to China.

For Germany, exports of vehicles to China, and passenger cars in particular, were down. Since 2021, German machinery exports have decreased slightly in value but remain the largest product category in German exports to China.

Exports of mostly Dutch-manufactured machinery

From January to November 2024, 11.7 billion euros’ worth of machinery was exported from the Netherlands to China. That was more than the export value of all other types of goods combined. A total of 87 percent of these machines were produced in the Netherlands. Re-exports of goods accounted for 0.9 billion euros, while the transit value was 0.6 billion euros.

Lower exports from Germany to China also hit the Dutch economy

Lower exports from Germany to China have also affected the Netherlands’ economy. In 2022, the Netherlands earned 1.8 billion euros from direct and indirect exports to China via Germany. That was a decrease compared to 2018 (2.2 billion euros) and 2019 (1.9 billion euros). For example, basic chemicals produced in the Netherlands are further processed into new chemical products in Germany and then exported to China. The wholesale and commission trade sectors earned the most from exports to China via Germany in 2022 at 254 million euros, followed by the chemical industry.

Sources

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