1. Home
  2. Studies
  3. Competition from China in the EU market for Germany’s manufacturing sector
External Publication 18. January 2024 Jürgen Matthes in The European Money and Finance Forum Competition from China in the EU market for Germany’s manufacturing sector

China has continuously gained market shares in the EU import market since 2000. At the same time, Germany’s share in EU imports has declined since 2005. This divergence is particularly relevant for sophisticated manufacturing products in which Germany is specialized.

to Download
External Publication
Competition from China in the EU market for Germany’s manufacturing sector
External Publication 18. January 2024 Jürgen Matthes in The European Money and Finance Forum

Competition from China in the EU market for Germany’s manufacturing sector

Jürgen Matthes in The European Money and Finance Forum German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

China has continuously gained market shares in the EU import market since 2000. At the same time, Germany’s share in EU imports has declined since 2005. This divergence is particularly relevant for sophisticated manufacturing products in which Germany is specialized.

The diverging trends can be found for all depicted 2-digit-sectors. Moreover, China’s gains and Germany’s losses in the EU market accelerated between 2020 and 2022 in many respects – which would be in line with China plans to upgrade its production structure, e.g. in the course of the strategy ‘Made in China 2025’. This development raises questions about the competitive distortions emanating from China’s state capitalism and about appropriate trade policy responses.

to Download
External Publication
Competition from China in the EU market for Germany’s manufacturing sector
External Publication 18. January 2024 Jürgen Matthes in The European Money and Finance Forum

Competition from China in the EU market for Germany’s manufacturing sector

Jürgen Matthes in The European Money and Finance Forum German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

More about this topic

More about this topic

Read the article
German Foreign Investment and the debate over Germany as a business location
IW-Report No. 39 6. October 2026 Samina Sultan / Jürgen Matthes

German Foreign Investment and the debate over Germany as a business location

Geopolitical pressure and the debate over Germany’s competitiveness make it necessary to develop a more precise understanding of German foreign direct investment. This report provides a comprehensive empirical analysis and also examines the implications for Germany as a business location.

Samina Sultan / Jürgen Matthes IW

Read the article
IW-Trends No. 2 6. August 2026 Adriana Neligan et al.

Critical Raw Materials: Corporate Exposure, Supply Risks and Adaptation Strategies

Critical raw materials are vital inputs for key technologies and thus for industrial competitiveness.

Adriana Neligan / Cornelius Bähr / Hubertus Bardt / Edgar Schmitz IW

More about this topic

Content element with id 9713