EU’s heavy reliance on Chinese imports spans five critical sectors

The European Union imports Chinese goods worth €559.4 billion in 2025, an 89 % increase since 2015, creating a trade deficit of €359.8 billion. China supplies 47 % of the EU’s “dependent products” – components and raw materials essential for manufacturing end‑products – and about half of the total import value. Five sectors show the deepest vulnerability: solar energy, critical raw materials, industrial robotics, chemicals, and textiles & wood products. Solar‑module imports are 98 % Chinese, while China provides roughly 88 % of lithium‑ion batteries for electric‑vehicle batteries and 98 % of rare‑earth magnets. EU officials warn that Chinese overcapacity and subsidised pricing could lead to dumping, prompting the Commission to tighten market rules and list magnesium as a critical resource for domestic development. Internal‑market commissioner Stéphane Séjourné has called on companies to diversify supply chains as trade tensions with Beijing intensify.