At the end of March 2025, the Belgian Foreign Trade Agency published its annual Belgian trade report. With regard to the trade between Belgium and China, the most significant finding was that China overtook the USA as the biggest non-European supplier to Belgium (see Table 1). Whereas the USA was the biggest non-European supplier to Belgium in 2023 (a little more than EUR 36 billion), this number declined with 13% in 2024 to EUR 31.4 billion. Conversely, although the import from China to Belgium decreased with 3.6% from EUR 33.3 billion in 2023 to EUR 32.1 billion in 2024, China became the biggest non-European supplier to Belgium in 2024. The Netherlands remains the biggest supplier to Belgium, followed by Germany and France.
Table 1: Belgium’s top suppliers 2023-2024
When looking at Belgium’s exports to China (see Table 2), also a decrease of 3.8% was observed: from EUR 8.19 billion in 2023 to EUR 7.88 billion in 2024. This makes China Belgium’s 10th biggest customer and the 2nd biggest customer outside Europe, behind the USA. Germany is Belgium’s biggest customer, followed by France and The Netherlands.
Table 2: Belgium’s top customers 2023-2024
Over the past three decades, imports from China to Belgium have grown significantly, as well as Belgium’s trade deficit with China. In 2020, the trade deficit with China was around EUR 9.6 billion. This increased to a record high trade deficit of EUR 35.3 billion in 2022. In the past two years this number has come down slightly, to EUR 25.1 billion in 2023 and EUR 24.2 billion in 2024.
Key imports from China include electronics, machinery, textiles, chemicals and consumer goods. Belgian exports to China include pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, food & beverages, and high-value services. Furthermore, China’s demand for Belgian biotech, luxury food products (like chocolate and beer), and industrial expertise continues to grow. Important to mention is that Belgium, with its logistics infrastructure and operators, is a gateway to European markets: about two-thirds of imported goods from China are intended for re-export to other countries.
Belgian exports to China have not increased in the past 5 years. In 2020, Belgium exported for a total value of EUR 8.5 billion to China, higher than the export value of EUR 7.9 billion in 2024. In the same period 2020 – 2024 the import value from China increased with a staggering 75%.
The above figures underline the structural shift in Belgium’s trade relationship with China. While the slight drop in imports and exports in 2024 points to a cooling of trade volumes, the long-term trajectory shows China’s growing prominence as a key supplier—particularly in high-tech and consumer goods—and Belgium’s increasing dependence on Chinese imports. Meanwhile, Belgian exports to China have stagnated, deepening the trade imbalance. As China surpasses the United States as Belgium’s largest non-European supplier, the data highlights not only changing global trade dynamics but also Belgium’s strategic role as a re-export hub within Europe. Addressing the widening trade deficit will likely become an important consideration for Belgian policymakers and exporters in the years ahead.
Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed an escalation in trade tensions between the United States and China. New tariffs have been proposed and the rhetoric from both sides has hardened. This development is understandably creating concern among many Belgian companies with interests in China or Chinese companies with interests in Belgium and Europe. At the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC), we remain committed to supporting our members’ efforts through advocacy, information-sharing, matchmaking, and problem-solving. Let’s stay calm, stay connected, and keep doing what Belgian businesses do best: building bridges, delivering value, and dealing with problems in a pragmatic and professional way.
Click here to find the full data on the China Belgium trade balance and Belgium’s foreign trade statistics in 2024.
Please contact the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC) in case you have any questions.