China has topped the European Union’s list of countries of import taking 20% share of the bloc’s all imports from outside the EU in 2015, data from European statistics agency Eurostat shows.

The United States followed in the second place with 14% share and Russia in the third spot with 8%.

During the year, China and the United States continued to be the two main goods trading partners of the EU, well ahead of Switzerland and Russia.

Overall, the trading with the US totaled in EUR 619 bn (USD 703bn), or 18% of total EU trade in goods and China EUR 521 bn, or 15%.

The share of China has doubled since 2002, rising from 7% to 15% in 2015, whereas the trade relations with the US showed a recovery from a significant and almost continuous fall until 2011, bouncing back to reach 18% in 2015.

Since 2013 the share of Russia in total EU trade in goods has declined sharply to 6% in 2015 on the back of tightened sanctions against the country.

Eurostat’s data further showed that the share of Switzerland remained almost unchanged at 7% over the entire time period.

In 2015, machinery and transport equipment, other manufactured goods and chemicals represented the main categories of product in EU international trade with the rest of the world.

From: World Maritime News