According to figures from the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency, last year China surpassed the United States to become Belgium’s leading non-EU trading partner.
In 2024 imports from the US to Belgium fell by 13%, from 31.4 billion euro, down from 36.1 billion euro in 2023. Meanwhile, imports from China decreased by just 3.6% to 32.1 billion euro.
Despite this slight fall in import, China took the first place among non-EU countries that supply goods and services to Belgium. Meanwhile, our northern neighbour the Netherlands remained Belgium’s largest overall trading partner, followed by Germany and France.
Belgium’s leading export markets
The value of Belgian exports to China also fell moderately in 2024, falling by 3.8% to 7.88 billion euro. This makes China Belgium’s tenth largest export destination and our second largest non-EU customer after the United States. Germany remains Belgium’s leading export market, closely followed by France and the Netherlands. Despite occasional fluctuations, trade with China remains a key element of Belgium’s international economic strategy.
The trade deficit with China remains significant. It peaked at 35.3 billion euro in 2022, before falling to 25.1 billion euro in 2023 and 24.2 billion euro in 2024. Key imports from China include electronics, machinery, textiles, chemicals and consumer goods. Belgium’s main exports to China are pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery and food and drink.
Demand from China for Belgian biotech products, luxury food items such as chocolate and beer and industrial services continues to rise. Around two-thirds of Chinese goods imported via Belgium are re-exported to other European markets, highlighting Belgium’s strategic role as a logistics hub.