As of April 2025, China-Belgium trade continues to deepen on the strength of Belgium’s position as a logistics hub in Europe, with bilateral trade reaching $52.3 billion in 2024, up 6.2 per cent year-on-year. China’s exports to Belgium are dominated by photovoltaic modules (28% of total exports), electric vehicles and consumer electronics, with a year-on-year growth rate of 12%; Belgium’s exports to China rely on chemical products (BASF’s supply of speciality materials to China grew by 18%), biomedicine (New Crown’s vaccine API exports accounted for 35% of total exports), and diamond processing (the Port of Antwerp’s exports of loose diamonds to China exceeded €1 billion). The two sides strengthened the ‘digital twin’ co-operation between the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Shanghai, which resulted in a 30% increase in customs clearance efficiency and a 40% surge in freight volume on the China-Europe ‘Zhengzhou-Liège’ line in the first quarter of 2025. Despite the challenges posed by the EU’s carbon border tax and semiconductor export controls, China-Belgium co-operation in the fields of green hydrogen energy (China’s participation in Belgium’s North Sea Hydrogen Hub) and smart logistics (Caijiao Liège eHub expansion) has been accelerated, and five new Belgian dairy companies will be granted access to China in 2025, which will further stimulate the potential for growth in agricultural trade.
Shipping costs from China to Belgium
| Type of transportation | Transportation time | Transportation costs |
| Sea Freight (20-foot container) | 30-35 days | $1,150 |
| Sea Freight (40-foot container) | 30-35 days | $2,175 |
| Sea Freight (LCL) | 35-40 days | $150 |
| DDP Sea Freight Double Clearance and Taxes to Door（100KG） | 45-50 days | $184 |
| DDP railroad double clearing tax to door（100kg） | 30-35 days | $195 |
| DDP Truck Transportation Double Clearance to Door (100kg) | 20-25 days | $210 |
Understanding import taxes and duties
Base rates: average tariff rate of 2.1 per cent for industrial goods and 10.6 per cent for agricultural products, with the EU harmonised rate applied to China’s exports of electric vehicles (current tariff of 10 per cent), photovoltaic modules (0 tariff) and textiles (6.2 per cent) The EU harmonised tariff rate applies to Chinese exports of electric vehicles (current tariff 10%), PV modules (0 tariff) and textiles (6.2%);
Carbon tariff barriers: the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is fully implemented, and Chinese comparative exports of steel and aluminium products are subject to an additional carbon emission fee of €35-50 per tonne;
Anti-dumping measures: high tariffs remain in place for Chinese ceramic tableware (17.6% anti-dumping duty) and bicycle parts (48.5%);
Duty-free access: cross-border e-commerce parcels imported via the Belgian port of Antwerp (declared value ≤ €150) enjoy a duty-free policy and are only subject to 21% VAT;
FTA dividends: some provisions of the China-EU Investment Agreement (CAI) have entered into force, and Belgium has opened up the market for high-end machine tools (tariff reduced from 4% to 1.5%) and biomedical equipment to China.
Suggestions: Use Belgium’s ‘bonded logistics park’ to suspend tax payments, and pay attention to the EU’s import restrictions on semiconductors and lithium batteries.
Air freight from China to Belgium
Advantages of airfreight from China to Belgium
The core advantages of airfreight from China to Belgium include: fast timeframe – relying on Zhengzhou/Shanghai direct flights to Liège Airport (one of the largest cargo hubs in Europe) with 6-8 flights per day. The fastest door-to-door delivery is 40 hours, which is the first choice for emergency spare parts and e-commerce small packages. ‘Single Window’ electronic pre-approval system, parcels under 150 euros are duty-free (only 21% VAT), and 98% of cross-border e-commerce B2C cargoes are automatically released within 4 hours; European distribution centre –Radiation of Benelux and German and French core markets through Liège Airport, covering 90% of Western Europe within 48 hours, supporting constant temperature transport of highly sensitive goods such as pharmaceutical cold chain and chips; strong cost competitiveness –By 2025, the number of China-Belgium cargo flights will be increased to 40 per week, with a 10% year-on-year reduction in the cost of a single kilogram of freight, which, combined with the ‘Air + Liège China-Europe liner’ intermodal mode, will result in an 18% saving in the overall cost compared to pure airfreight. The whole chain is safe and controllable – GPS real-time tracking and independent packaging solutions, the cargo loss rate is less than 0.2%, DDP mode to avoid tax risks, suitable for luxury goods, precision instruments, and so on. DDP mode avoids tax risk, which is suitable for high value-added logistics needs such as luxury goods and precision instruments.
Cost of air transport
| destination | Cost (per kg) | Transportation time |
| Brussels Airport(BRU) | $7.5 | 1-2days |
| Liège Airport(LGG) | $7 | 1-2days |
| Brussels South Charleroi Airport(CRL) | $6.5 | 1-2days |
| Antwerp International Airport(ANR) | $7.8 | 1-2days |
| DDP Air Freight Dual Clearance Tax Paid to Door | $8.5 | 10-14 days |
Express from China to Belgium
1. Extremely Fast Timing: Relying on the 10+ daily all-cargo flights from Shanghai/Zhengzhou to Liège Airport in Belgium (one of the largest cargo hubs in Europe), the fastest door-to-door delivery can be completed in 36 hours, which can satisfy the demand for high time-sensitive delivery of emergency spare parts and e-commerce parcels.
2. Intelligent customs clearance: Belgium Customs pre-declaration system (DDS) and China’s electronic customs declaration seamlessly, parcels under 150 euros enjoy ‘zero paper documents’. Fast channel, 90% of goods clearance time is shortened to within 2 hours, avoiding the risk of being stranded in Hong Kong.
3. Territorial Coverage and Distribution: 48-hour coverage of Benelux, Northern France and Western Germany through Liège Airport, supporting precise delivery to residences, businesses and self-pick-up containers, with a direct delivery rate of over 95% to remote areas.
4. Significant cost advantage: By 2025, the China-Belgium freight route will be increased to 50+ flights per week, with a 12% year-on-year reduction in the cost of a single kilogram of freight, combined with the ‘airfreight + China-European liner’ hybrid transport solution, the overall cost is much lower than that of pure freight. Combined with the ‘Airfreight + China-Europa Liner’ mixed transport programme, the comprehensive cost is 20% lower than pure airfreight.
5. Safety and Transparency: GPS tracking and temperature-controlled packaging (loss rate <0.3%), DDP mode to pay customs duty/VAT on behalf of the tax disputes, suitable for the transport of luxury goods, precision instruments and other high-value goods.