SOAPBOX
SOAPBOX provides insights on EU-China trade. The weekly newsletter, compiled by Rafael Jimenez Buendía and Ilaria Perla, is published in collaboration with the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 173 | Founded | 4 years ago | Last Issue | 10 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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soapboxtrade.substack.comLatest Issues
China’s surplus eases, but still runs at trillion-dollar scale
China’s goods surplus is down 5.3% year on year in Jan-Apr, partly because exports to the U.S. fell by 10%. Annualised, the Jan-Apr surplus still points to around US$1.1tn in 2026.
China’s import growth does not look consumer-led
Chi...
China’s export surge puts EU trade defence in the spotlight
China’s exports to the EU hit a record
The first four months of 2026 show how unbalanced the relationship has become. China’s exports to the EU reached US$201bn, while its imports from the EU were only US$88bn. The result was a US$113...
Taiwan’s export map tilts toward the U.S.
Taiwan’s export map has shifted sharply. On a Chinese-mainland-only basis, excluding Hong Kong, exports to the U.S. overtook exports to the mainland in 2024. The shift appears mainly driven by high-end electronics, chips, AI servers and rel...
China posts its largest ever first-quarter surplus with the EU
China reported its largest ever trade surplus with the EU in the first quarter of this year. What stands out is not just the size of the surplus, but how it was generated. The widening gap was driven mainly by a surge in Chinese exports to...
EU exports to China plunged in February as the EU deficit topped €1bn a day
In February 2026, EU exports to China dropped 16.2% year on year, while imports rose 2.2%. As a result, the EU trade deficit with China widened by 14.1%, climbing to more than €1 billion a day.
In our view, Eurostat is likely to report a...
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Weekly dose of China trade insights – with a focus on EU-China trade. Produced in collaboration with Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).
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