Trade war: China's exports defy tariff dispute with the USA

According to official figures, China's exports to the US plummeted by 21 percent and imports by 13.8 percent. Trade between the world's two largest economies has virtually come to a standstill due to the high markups. Washington and Beijing had reportedly already made exceptions for key technology products from each other.

China's exports to Germany have increased massively

Beijing has prepared well for a possible escalation with the US in recent years, says Max Zenglein, an economist at the Merics Institute for China Studies in Berlin. However, the escalation in the trade dispute poses "massive risks" for the global economy and thus also for Germany. "In an era of globalization increasingly characterized by geopolitical rivalries, German companies risk being caught in the crossfire," says Zenglein.