Investments by German companies in China hit a ​four-year high in 2025, data compiled for Reuters shows, underscoring how U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policy is pushing industries and ‌governments to boost business ties elsewhere.

The previously unreported data from the IW German Economic Institute showed investments in China rose to more than 7 billion euros ($8 billion) between January and November last year, up 55.5% from 4.5 billion euros in 2024 and 2023.

German fan and motor maker ebm-papst said that last year it invested 30 million euros in expanding its Chinese operations, accounting for more than a fifth of total investments, in order to produce more where its customers are.

"This model has proven to be an important anchor of stability, especially in times of tariffs and ​geopolitical tensions," the company said in a statement, adding it was also planning to ‍expand its U.S. business this year.

An increase of 55.5% is genuinely quite a lot. Especially since German investments in US nearly halved in Trump's first year back