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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lisa O’Carroll

EXPLAINED: Eu faces china shock as ev imports drive beijing s record surplus with bloc | Rare Historical Photos

BYD Dolphin electric car parked on a rural road
The record was driven in part by Europeans’ apparent unstoppable appetite for Chinese cars. Photograph: BYD/PA

The EU is experiencing a prolonged “China shock” as a flood of Chinese EVs into Europe helped push Beijing to a record surplus with the bloc.

New data showed China’s trade surplus – where its exports to the EU exceeded imports from the bloc – was $83bn (£61bn) in the first three months of 2026.

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