This trend reflects a broader shift across the European Union, where China has overtaken the United States as the bloc’s most important trading partner, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2025, the EU imported €559.4 billion worth of goods from China, compared to €199.6 billion in exports going the other way, a significant increase from 2015 levels.
Despite this growth, Malta remains less dependent on China than the EU average. A 2023 Central Bank of Malta report found that China accounted for 11.4% of Malta’s non-EU imports, compared to an EU average of 22.5%.
Still, the country’s economic ties with China are expanding beyond trade alone. Chinese nationals made up nearly half of all non-EU property buyers in Malta in 2025, while authorities and business leaders have continued to strengthen links, including through a record-breaking Maltese business delegation visit to Shanghai last year.
As imports continue to climb and connections deepen across multiple sectors, Malta’s relationship with China appears to be entering a new phase, one defined by stronger economic integration and growing strategic importance.
What do you make of these numbers?