OREANDA-NEWS. Germany is no longer a world leader in the export of mechanical engineering products. In 2020, China overtook Germany for the first time, the newspaper Die Welt reported on Wednesday, July 7, citing the Association of German Machine Builders and Manufacturers of Industrial Equipment (VDMA). Last year, China's share in international supplies of machinery and industrial equipment reached 15.8 percent, while Germany's share reached 15.5 percent.

According to Die Welt, in 2019, Germany was still ahead of China in this indicator by almost 1.4 percent, and in 2020 — even by 7 percent. At the same time, China, according to the VDMA, has long turned into the world's largest manufacturer of cars.

«China produces as many machines and industrial equipment as the United States, Germany, Japan and Italy combined. Therefore, China's entry into the first place in the export of these products was only a matter of time», said Ulrich Ackermann, head of the foreign trade department at VDMA, in an interview with Die Welt.