According to the latest forecast of the German Industry and Commerce Association (DIHK), Germany will export to China a total of 85 billion euros of products and services in 2012. Therefore, sales of German companies to China are expected to exceed their sales to the United States next year (German Chamber of Commerce and Industry is estimated at 78 billion euros).

The United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics database shows that Germany’s imports from China amounted to US$ 101 billion last year, and China has become one of the largest sources of imported German products. At the same time, Germany's annual exports to China rose from 26 billion U.S. dollars in 2005 to 71 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, an increase of nearly 3 times.

Today, the most popular German products in China include power generation equipment (US$20 billion), motor vehicles and related components (US$17 billion), mechanical products (US$9 billion), measurement and medical devices (US$4 billion), and aircraft Parts (3 billion U.S. dollars).

Ms. Fu Yali, chief representative and director of the Beijing Representative Office of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said: “This year’s '12th Five-Year Plan' and the first round of Sino-German government consultations have laid a solid foundation for the future development of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. In the coming years, areas of great potential in Sino-German trade will include machinery, automobiles, medical technology and business services."

The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Greater China estimates that more than 1,000 German companies currently produce and sell machinery products in China. In addition, 300 German companies manufacture motor vehicles and parts, and there are 100 German companies engaged in medical technology. Ms. Fu Yali said: “Although the economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany has been fruitful, German companies still have a lot to do in the rapidly developing Chinese market.”