The EU-China trade gap did not narrow in March. It widened. Eurostat data show EU exports to China are slightly down year on year, while imports from China rose above €50bn in a single month. The result was a monthly deficit of €32.6bn, up from €30.9bn in March 2025. Put differently, the EU imported almost three euros from China for every euro it exported there. The weakness was not evenly spread. Germany’s exports to China fell 14% year on year in March, while Slovakia’s dropped 22%, presumably reflecting the pressure on the auto sector. And the imbalance was broad. Apart from small surpluses in Finland and Ireland, every EU member state recorded a trade deficit with China in March.