Summary: According to TexPro data, China's textile and apparel exports to the EU-27 declined year-on-year in the first half of 2026, but apparel import volumes by weight rose while unit prices fell. Over the same period, the EU's overall goods trade deficit with China peaked in July at about €1 billion per day, while exports of technical textiles to Europe grew against the trend.

Key points

  • In H1 2026, China's textile and apparel exports to the EU-27 fell year-on-year in value, but EU data as the reporting importer show apparel arrivals rising and unit values falling.
  • Exports of industrial and technical textiles such as nonwovens achieved growth, while exports of knitted and woven apparel declined.
  • In July 2026, the EU's overall goods trade deficit with China was about €1 billion per day on a daily average basis (the specific amount is unknown due to copyright protection), placing textiles under this political pressure.

EU-China textile trade tensions are intensifying, but not because total export values have surged. TexPro data show that China's textile and apparel exports to the EU-27 declined in the first half of 2026; meanwhile, EU data as the reporting importer point to another risk—by weight, more apparel is entering the EU market at lower unit prices, while some technical textiles are growing rapidly and the EU's trade defence measures are becoming increasingly targeted.

This divergence is unfolding against the backdrop of the EU's widening overall trade deficit with China. Eurostat reports show that in July 2026 the EU's goods trade deficit with China reached a high level, at about €1 billion per day on a daily average basis. The gap between China's exports to Europe and the EU's exports to China forms the political pressure environment in which the textile and apparel industry operates, but the industry data themselves are more complex.

In terms of category structure, exports of technical textiles and specialty textiles achieved growth, with nonwovens leading the way; by contrast, exports of both knitted and woven apparel declined. At the same time, the EU-27's apparel imports from China rose in volume terms, but the increase in value terms was limited. This pattern of "rising volumes and falling prices" is drawing Brussels' attention to CN8-level product risks and may affect its use of tariffs and trade defence instruments.

Source: Will textiles get caught in Europe's €1 bn a day China trade debate? · Originally published on 2026-10-01