BRUSSELS - SANA
The European Institute for Statistics (Eurostat) announced that, during the past year, China was the first trading partner of the European Union for the first time, surpassing the United States thanks to the rapid recovery of its economy less affected by the outbreak of the Corona virus than the economies of Western partners.
France Press quoted the institute as saying in a statement that "China was during the past year the main trading partner of the European Union," noting that the volume of the European Union’s trade with China amounted to 586 billion dollars, compared to 555 billion dollars with the United States.
According to figures released by Eurostat, European imports from China increased by 5.6 percent last year compared to 2019, as well as European exports to China increased by 2.2 percent, while trade with the United States recorded a significant decline in both imports by 13.2 percent and exports by 8.2 percent.
Eurostat indicated that the Chinese economy recovered to a large extent after suffering from the consequences of the outbreak of the Corona virus during the first quarter, and consumption at the end of the year exceeded its level a year ago, which led to an increase in European sales, especially cars and luxury goods, while China's exports to Europe benefited from the strong demand for equipment. Medical and electronic products.