Department for International Trade
Analysis – Statistics Brief
Trade and investment between the United Kingdom andChina{data reported by the UK}
GLOBAL STANDING
2016 (latest available rankings)
| Trading partner | Export market | Import market |
|---|---|---|
| 4th largest7.5% of total UK trade | 6th largest5.4% of all UK exports | 2nd largest9.0% of all UK imports |
TRADE IN GOODS
The following figures are from the ONS and are on a Balance of Payments (‘change of ownership’) basis
The UK reported a trade in goods deficit with China of £49.2bn, compared to a trade in goods deficit of £54.2bn in 2016.
| Total trade in goods between the UK and China | UK exports of goodsto China | UK imports of goodsfrom China |
|---|---|---|
| £123.3bn( 14.1% increase from 2016 ) | £37.1bn( 37.5% increase from 2016 ) | £86.3bn( 6.3% increase from 2016 ) |
The following figures, on trade in goods only, are from HMRC. They are on a different (i.e. ‘physical movement’) basis than the ONS (‘Balance of Payments’) data which are based on the ‘change of ownership’ criterion. They are not directly comparable with the figures above.
The top 5 UK goods exported to China in 2017 were:
| % of all UK goods exported to China | classification |
|---|---|
| 28.0% | vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof |
| 12.1% | mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes |
| 10.5% | nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof |
| 6.8% | electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles |
| 6.6% | natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin |
The top 5 UK goods imported from China in 2017 were:
| % of all UK goods imported from China | classification |
|---|---|
| 21.6% | electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles |
| 15.9% | nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof |
| 7.8% | furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and lighting fittings, not elsewhere specified or included; illuminated signs, illuminated nameplates and the like; prefabricated buildings |
| 6.3% | toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof |
| 4.8% | articles of apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted |