In 2021, the Netherlands imported goods from China worth 48 billion euros. This was reported by Statistics Netherlands and the Central Planning Bureau (CPB). That is 8.3 billion euros more than last year.
China has become increasingly important for Dutch imports of goods. In 1988, imports of goods from China accounted for only 0.5% of the total.
Now almost 10% of all goods imports come from China. We only import more goods from Germany. Imports from China have grown by an average of nearly 9% annually since 2015.
About two-thirds of goods imported from China leave the country immediately. This re-export mainly consists of high-tech products such as computers, telephones and microchips.
