The EU market is becoming the main destination for the expansion of Chinese goods, pushed out of other parts of the world by trade barriers. The scale of the phenomenon is growing rapidly and is increasingly hitting European producers, including those in Poland.
China floods Europe
The inflow of cheap goods from China into the European Union is ceasing to be a one-off phenomenon and is beginning to take on a systemic character. Data analysed by economists at Credit Agricole, based on statistics from the European Commission, show a clear increase in the number of product categories covered by so-called warning signals concerning excessive imports at undercut prices.
A special task force for import surveillance operating within the European Commission has recorded a sharp rise in the number of at-risk product groups. At the beginning of 2025 there were 55 of them. By autumn, the figure had risen to 149, representing an almost threefold increase in less than a year. This phenomenon is the result of the redirection of Chinese exports from markets that had previously introduced protective measures. Europe, with its relatively open market, has become a natural target. “The data indicate that the highest concentration of warning signals concerns imports from China, which clearly stand out against other geographical directions,” the authors of the Credit Agricole report emphasize.
Sectoral analysis leaves no illusions. Of the 15 industries examined, as many as 14 show symptoms of import pressure from China. The only exception remains water management and waste disposal. A particularly difficult situation affects the production of electrical equipment, identified as the sector at the highest risk. For the first time, warning signals have also appeared in the food industry, covering food, beverages, and tobacco products. This is a clear signal that Chinese expansion is no longer limited solely to advanced technologies.
For Poland, as one of the key exporters to the EU market, this translates into a real threat to competitiveness. The most exposed area is the production of electrical equipment, which accounts for more than 64 percent of the value of Polish exports in the groups covered by warnings. A special role is played by lithium-ion batteries. They account for as much as 80 percent of Polish exports in their category and nearly 2 percent of Poland’s total exports to the EU. Pressure also affects machinery and equipment, the textile sector, steel products, and automotive parts.