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China Strategy
Germany’s dependence on imports from China is growing

A new FNF analysis shows that, contrary to the objectives of the China Strategy, the share of Chinese imports of key goods has risen.
2.1 분
Frederic Spohr
  Frederic Spohr
Chinese export

Containerschiffe im Hafen

© smartschwarz via Pixabay

Contrary to the objectives of the China Strategy, Germany’s dependence on key goods and raw materials from the People’s Republic has increased, according to an analysis by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. Since 2023, the share of Chinese imports has risen in several sectors that the then federal government had classified as critical in its China Strategy. This applies, for example, to batteries, solar panels, antibiotics and key raw materials.

Wachsende Abhängigkeit trotz China-Strategie

Wachsende Abhängigkeit trotz China-Strategie

Fast drei Jahre nach Veröffentlichung der China-Strategie der Bundesregierung überprüft die vorliegende Studie einen zentralen Teil ihres Anspruchs: die Verringerung deutscher Importabhängigkeiten von China in strategisch sensiblen Bereichen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass in mehreren von der Strategie ausdrücklich genannten Sektoren keine Reduzierung erkennbar ist – im Gegenteil: Die Abhängigkeit ist teilweise sogar weiter gestiegen.

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Key findings of the analysis

  • For rechargeable lithium batteries, China’s share of the total weight of German imports rose from 49.7 per cent in 2023 to 66.5 per cent in 2025.
  • In the solar panel sector, China further consolidated its dominant market position. China’s share of the total weight of imports rose to over 90 per cent in 2025.
  • For antibiotics, China’s share of the total import weight rose from 65.3 per cent to 72.9 per cent. For vitamins and provitamins, China’s share of the total import volume increased from 71.3 per cent to 81.6 per cent.
  • When it comes to strategically important rare earths such as praseodymium, neodymium and samarium, China remains practically the sole supplier. At the same time, imports of this product group rose from 3.1 tonnes in 2023 to 13.0 tonnes in 2025.

Ironically, in several areas that the China Strategy explicitly identifies as critical, Germany’s dependence on imports from China has continued to rise since its publication.

The German government’s China strategy was published in July 2023. Among other things, it sets out the objective of reducing critical dependencies on China and mitigating economic risks in relations with the People’s Republic. The sectors mentioned include metals and rare earths, lithium batteries, photovoltaics, and active pharmaceutical ingredients, including antibiotics.

The analysis examines direct German imports from China in terms of volume and value. Indirect dependencies via third countries are not included. The data is sourced from the Federal Statistical Office. The figures for 2025 are still provisional and may be subject to minor revisions.

*Frederic Spohr heads the offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Taipei and Seoul