Imports of Chinese textiles to the EU skyrocket

Imports of Chinese clothing and textiles to the EU increased by 20%. in terms of volume and value in the first half of 2025 compared to last year – the Financial Times reported, citing data from Euratex. This is influenced by the introduction of tariffs by the USA.

The European textile industry organization Euratex reported that the increase in the value of products imported from China to Europe is due to an increase in imports of cheap clothing by approximately EUR 2 billion.

Euratex CEO Mario Jorge Machado told the FT that he is observing a reduction in Chinese exports to the US due to the ongoing customs war.

– We see that a significant part of exports goes to Europe, but this is also associated with a decline in the prices of the goods we import (…). Because Chinese companies cannot sell in the United States, they are behaving very aggressively to sell in Europe, he explained.

The British newspaper said the consequence of the US tariffs is “slow progress by the EU in reducing the number of parcels arriving from online sellers such as Temu and Shein.” It was recalled that the European Commission had proposed abolishing the threshold of EUR 150 below which parcels can be sent to the EU duty-free, and instead charging a flat fee of EUR 2 for parcels of this value. However, for such a law to come into force, all Member States must consent to it.

In August, the US abolished its own similar system. Since then, broadcasters must pay a minimum fee of $80. for sending a shipment to the United States. Machado called the EU's actions in this area “ridiculous”, comparing the fee of 2 euros and 80 dollars for the same parcel.

The FT reported that at the same time, the value of exports from the EU to China fell by 19%, which was influenced by competitive pressure and the weakening of the yuan against the euro.

Tariffs imposed on China since Donald Trump took office as US president now amount to 30%. European textile companies were also subject to a higher US customs duty, which after the agreement signed between the US and the EU in July amounts to 15%. According to Euratex, previously only 11 percent textile products were subject to tariffs exceeding 15%.

The EU textile industry generates an annual turnover of EUR 170 billion and provides 1.3 million jobs.

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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