Can China Help Europe With Its Rising Grocery Bills?

When I saw fresh cucumbers at my local SPAR at 4 euros per kilogram and watermelon at 2 euros per kilogram, I couldn’t help but recall residents' and travelers’ YouTube videos about the cost of living in China. Some lamented the lack of job opportunities, and others marveled at the ubiquity of technology. But what I noticed was more trivial: a vegetarian all-you-can-eat buffet for 2 US dollars per person, with cucumber-based dishes galore, and streetside stalls peddling watermelons off the back of a truck, at the equivalent of less than 20 euro cents per kilogram.

In 2025, the European Union imported 630 billion US dollars worth of products from China, the highest figure since 2022. Yet, even as the EU runs a trade deficit of more than 100 billion euros with China every quarter, foodstuffs have consistently been an area where the EU runs a surplus. Chinese consumers no doubt appreciate the quality of European wine, meat, and dairy products, but the surplus also masks the inability of affordable Chinese produce to reach the European market. Their greater presence would certainly help combat the inflationary pressure on everyday groceries stemming from wars in Ukraine and the Gulf.

China certainly has the scale. Of the world’s annual watermelon production of a little more than 100 million tons, China grows more than 61 million. China also produces more than 75 million tons of cucumbers every year, while the whole world produces a little more than 90 million. These are not anomalies. China produces 54% of the world’s vegetables and 15% of its fruits. Even with a large domestic market for each, there is plenty to spare for export, especially if the prices obtained abroad can be multiples of what can be fetched at home. 

Admittedly, cucumbers and watermelons are not the easiest to ship worldwide. Both are bulky and mostly water, making their by-weight value too low to justify the expensive cold storage needed at every step from the field to the supermarket shelves. But workarounds can be found. Consumers can be convinced to try binned or canned cucumber if they are already used to pickled ones. And why carry a heavy watermelon home, if pureed and juiced versions are more portable and cheaper? 

The practicality of the price-conscious consumer begs the question of why Chinese produce, at least in more processed forms, is not more ubiquitous in European markets, as Chinese electronics and cars are. One explanation is the persistent negative image of Chinese products, with even Chinese state-owned media recently conceding that European opinion characterizes products made in China as cheap and of dubious quality. That impression weighs especially heavily for foodstuffs more than manufactured goods, as European concerns may be buttressed by the widely reported use of toxic pesticides more than a decade ago. 

The other explanation is the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. Ostentatiously designed to provide affordable local food to European citizens, the Policy has effectively priced out imports from outside the union by handing local farmers subsidies, particularly for locally sourceable produce like cucumbers and watermelons. But even as Malta buys from sunny, arable southern Italy and Spain, its grocery prices can only go as low as the lowest in the EU, not beyond it. The agricultural lobby’s power ensures that any initiatives to lower subsidies or tariffs on imports become politically toxic.

There needs to be a compromise. Despite pleas from local carmakers and opposition to subsidy-driven overcapacity, the EU imports 17% of its cars from China, driven by rising demand for cheap, high-quality electric vehicles. The same is possible for agriculture. European cars can continue to thrive by offering luxury and niche vehicles that Chinese competitors cannot for cultural and technological reasons. Similarly, European farmers should be funded to invest in growing produce with geographical indications and quality schemes, which will remain a reputational barrier to entry against Chinese imitators. Retraining farmers to produce unique, better products is a better use of EU subsidies than helping them stay price-competitive against Chinese imports with comparative advantages in scale.

Ultimately, both European consumers and producers of foodstuffs can benefit. The former gains access to cheaper surplus from China’s large domestic market, subject to EU quality controls, helping to stave off inflation in the kitchen. The latter gains financial support for producing more globally competitive produce that can not only stand up against Chinese imports in Europe, but also sell globally, even in the Chinese market. Then, perhaps no European will be surprised by or envious of the YouTube videos depicting China’s cheap foods.