Europe in general (perhaps with the exception of the UK) is much less saturated with Made in China goods than the rest of the world, perhaps due to more stringent adherence to standards and quality, or perhaps as a result of its trade laws that still somewhat protect European-made goods.
Germany has benefited greatly from the expansion of the European internal market, and has always had, and still does have, a very good name. Everything from cars to electronics, down to appliances and kitchenware, Made in Germany still speaks volume on the continent.
Despite the somewhat higher prices of German goods (and they are actually kept quite low due to various work-sharing labour arrangements), weighing things on a quality-price scale, they still come out better value than a lot of alternatives. So it's really no surprise that the country is running such a huge trade surplus against the rest of the continent.
On the other hand China does export a lot to Europe, especially in Eastern Countries; since they are cheaper. I don't have any stats, but I see "made in China" stuff everywhere.
I can see how that's very likely, my experience is limited to Western Europe at the moment:) We still see quite a lot of goods in cheaper stores that come from China, but nothing like the market domination I see back in North America. Over here in NL for example, I see way more stuff coming from France, Germany, Italy, etc, than just China. I think consumers in some parts of Europe prefer goods that are better quality, even if they are a bit more expensive. From a longer term cost-benefit stand point, it usually works out cheaper anyway.
When speaking about finished products, I also saw lots of stuff made in UE in Eastern Europe.
But for example China exports a lot of textiles. Many clothes are still made in Europe, but a large percent of textiles come from China.
That said, I'm glad that Germany can be the powerhouse that it is by focusing on quality rather than cheap-labor. It shows that it is possible. Good for them.
It's good to know that quality still sells, and prices aren't everything.
Maybe because of Europe's location, I see textiles sourced from places like Turkey and even Latin America, rather than purely from China/Asia in general. What kind of things do you see coming out of the UE?
Germany has benefited greatly from the expansion of the European internal market, and has always had, and still does have, a very good name. Everything from cars to electronics, down to appliances and kitchenware, Made in Germany still speaks volume on the continent.
Despite the somewhat higher prices of German goods (and they are actually kept quite low due to various work-sharing labour arrangements), weighing things on a quality-price scale, they still come out better value than a lot of alternatives. So it's really no surprise that the country is running such a huge trade surplus against the rest of the continent.