{"id":7831,"date":"2021-05-28T06:30:07","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T06:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=7831"},"modified":"2021-05-31T06:01:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T06:01:43","slug":"china-becomes-uks-largest-import-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/china-becomes-uks-largest-import-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Rise in PPE demand makes China UK\u2019s largest import market"},"content":{"rendered":"

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that, <\/span>since the second quarter of 2020, <\/span>the UK has imported more goods from China than from any other country\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

For the first time since modern records began, China has outstripped Germany to become the UK\u2019s largest single import market. According to a report from the Office for National Statistics<\/a> published in late May 2021, goods imported from China reached \u00a316.9 billion in the first quarter of 2021, up 66% from the start of 2018. Imports from Germany fell to \u00a312.5 billion during the same period.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Total goods imports by top five import partners, Q1 2018 and Q1 2021 (source: ONS)<\/em><\/p>\n

China is the only one of the UK\u2019s top five import partners (Germany, China, France, the Netherlands and the US) from which imports grew between Q1 2018 and Q1 2021. Although part of a long-term trend, the recent rise in imports from China can be attributed to the increased demand for textiles for PPE and electronic devices as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the UK\u2019s other trade partners suffered severe disruption from the virus, China became the first major economy to recover from the pandemic, recording 18.3% growth<\/a> in the first quarter of 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n