The German Chamber of Commerce in China has published the section on the escalation of the trade conflict from the 2025 Flash Survey. The full survey is scheduled to be published in May 2025. Between April 14 and April 17, 2025, a total of 143 member companies of the German Chamber of Commerce in China participated in the survey.
The survey results show that 86% of German companies in China are affected by the recent tariff increases by the USA and China. In response to the trade conflict, 38% of companies want to accelerate their localization in China. Almost half (48%) are taking a wait-and-see approach and want to continue observing the situation.
Key findings:
- Automotive companies face greater impact: 93% of surveyed companies from the automotive sector are affected by the latest tariffs. Across all industries, the figure is 86%.
- US export controls create obstacles: 43% of companies are impacted by American export controls, rising to 50% in the automotive industry.
- Accelerated localization as a response: 38% of German companies are accelerating their localization plans in China as one of their main responses to the trade conflict. In the automotive sector, this figure climbs to 48%.