China is driving potentially worrying increases across nearly a quarter of imports into the European Union, according to Denis Redonnet, the European Commission's chief trade enforcement officer. He told the European Parliament's trade committee that machinery, textiles, basic metals and chemicals were experiencing sustained and abnormal import growth. The comments came as the European Commission intensifies discussions with Beijing over the EU's €360 billion ($407 billion) goods trade deficit with China in 2025. Chinese imports into the bloc have risen while EU exports to China have fallen at a similar rate, and Brussels hopes to reach an arrangement on some form of Chinese export management this month. EU imports totaled €2.53 trillion ($2.86 trillion) in 2025, including €571 billion from China. The rise in Chinese exports has fueled increased industry requests for trade defence measures. The European Commission launched 32 new cases in 2025, compared with 33 in 2024 and a historical annual average of 12, while 27 new cases had already been opened in 2026. More than a third of the new investigations involved the chemicals sector.