By Maria Martinez
Sept 8 (Reuters) – German exports unexpectedly fell in July, ending a run of monthly increases since February, as shipments to European Union countries declined.
Exports fell by 0.8% in July compared with the previous month, data from the federal statistics office showed on Tuesday. Exports to EU countries dropped by 1.6%, while exports to non-EU countries increased by 0.2% on the month.
The median expectation of economists polled by Reuters was for a 0.1% increase.
Imports dropped by 5.7% on the month, meaning the trade surplus grew to €21.3 billion ($24.8 billion) in July from €15.4 billion in June.
The trade numbers – and separate data from France showing a widening French trade deficit in June – were in sharp contrast to new figures showing a 25% surge in Chinese exports year-on-year in August on the back of high-tech and AI-related products.
($1 = 0.8598 euros)
(Reporting by Maria Rugamer in Gdansk and Maria Martinez in Berlin;Editing by Ludwig Burger)
