The European Union's trade deficit with goods from China has reached nearly 197 billion euros in the first half of 2026 and could exceed the record level of 2022. This was stated by European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič after an informal meeting of EU trade ministers in Ireland, quoted by the Belgian agency Belga.
“Our deficit with China amounted to nearly 197 billion euros in the first half of the year“, Šefčovič said. According to him, if this trend continues, the deficit could exceed the record of 397 billion euros recorded in 2022.
The historical maximum of 2022 was also confirmed by Eurostat, which indicated this value as the highest EU deficit with China for the period under review.
The deficit is increasing again
The peak in 2022 was followed by a short decline. In 2025, however, the European Union again reported a deficit of 360 billion euros in trade in goods with China. This is equivalent to nearly 1 billion euros per day.
The data put further pressure on relations between Brussels and Beijing. The European Commission has started talks with the Chinese authorities with the aim of achieving a better balance in trade.
Car talks and new measures
During the talks, Šefčovič obtained China's agreement to voluntarily limit exports of hybrid cars to the European market. The Commission hopes that Beijing will make similar commitments in other sectors where European manufacturers face strong competitive pressure.
The next talks between the EU and China are scheduled for November. Brussels expects them to yield concrete results on the issue of market access and balancing trade flows.
In December, the European Commission will also propose new measures to better protect the European market. Germany and France recently called for the creation of an instrument that would allow the EU to quickly restrict access to its market when a third country undermines fair competition.
Sources: bta.bg