EU spends three times more on imports from China than bloc exports there

China and the EU are locked in talks to avert a trade war. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Consumers and businesses in the EU are spending three times more on Chinese imports than their counterparts in China are buying from the bloc, a study has shown.

Customs data showed the gap between the EU’s imports from China and exports to China, the trade deficit, ran at more than €1bn (£860m) a day in July.