Office for National Statistics Article UK trade with China: 2021 A closer look at the goods and services the UK trades with China. Contact: Hannah Donnarumma trade@ons.gov.uk +44 1329 447648 7 June 2022 11:00 Release date: 1 June 2022 Next release: To be announced Correction We have corrected an error in Figure 2 and associated data download. Due to an error in the data visualisation process, some wrong data was entered into the incorrect headings under 'value' and 'percentage'. The figure and data download have now been updated. Page 1 of 8
Table of contents 1. Main points 2. UK trade in goods with China 3. UK trade in services with China 4. UK trade in goods with China interactive content 5. UK trade data 6. Glossary 7. Data sources and quality 8. Future developments 9. Related links Page 2 of 8
1 . Main points · In 2021, China was the UK's largest import partner and sixth-largest export partner for goods. . The UK imported £63.6 billion of goods from China in 2021 (13.3% of all goods imports to the UK) and exported £18.8 billion of goods (5.8% of all goods exports from the UK). . The main goods import from China in 2021 was machinery and transport equipment (£27.5 billion), primarily office machinery and telecoms and sound equipment; machinery and transport equipment was also the main goods export (£7.7 billion). . In 2021, the UK imported £2.5 billion of services from China (1.4% of all services imports) and exported £8.2 billion of services (2.7% of all services exports). . The main services import from China was other business services (£1.1 billion), while the main services export was travel (£2.8 billion), specifically personal travel. . China is one of the UK's largest trading partners, accounting for £93.0 billion (7.3%) of the UK's total trade in 2021. . The UK had a £39.1 billion trade deficit with China in 2021, which means we imported more than we exported; we had a £44.8 billion trade deficit in goods which was offset by a £5.7 billion surplus in services. 2 . UK trade in goods with China In 2021, the UK imported £63.6 billion of goods from China. This accounted for 13.3% of all goods imports, making China our largest importing partner. There were £18.8 billion of goods exports to China (5.8% of all goods exports), making China our sixth-largest exporting partner. The UK imported £27.5 billion of machinery and transport equipment from China in 2021 (Figure 1), accounting for 17.5% of all imports of this commodity. The imports of machinery and transport equipment were primarily office machinery which includes items such as laptops and computers, and telecoms and sound equipment which includes mobile phones and smartphones (Table 1). The UK imported £17.9 billion of miscellaneous manufactures from China in 2021, accounting for 26.2% of all imports of this commodity. This consisted of consumer manufactures (£5.5 billion), which includes video games consoles, exercise equipment and toys; while clothing accounted for £3.5 billion