German exports rise 0.9% in May on US, China demand

German exports rose 0.9 percent in May to 137.9 billion euros, preliminary data from statistics agency Destatis showed, helped by higher demand from the United States and China.

Exports increased for a fourth straight month. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected a one-percent decline.

The United States remained the biggest destination for German exports, with shipments rising 23.1 percent from the previous month to 14.1 billion euros. Exports to China rose 7.1 percent to 6.2 billion euros.

Exports to other European Union countries fell 1.1 percent, while imports from the rest of the bloc fell 2.5 percent. Overall imports dropped 2.5 percent to 118.8 billion euros, lifting Germany's trade surplus to 19.1 billion euros.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz told parliament the figures were encouraging signals for the German economy, while saying some sectors still faced a deep crisis. The government expects growth of 0.5 percent this year after the US-Israeli war against Iran dimmed prospects for a stronger rebound.