By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - Germany's foreign trade surplus decreased to €16 billion ($17.3 billion) month-on-month in January from December's €20.7 billion, according to official data from Destatis released on Monday.
On a monthly basis, Germany's exports fell 2.5% to €129.2 billion in January, while imports rose 1.2% to €113.1 billion.
Germany's exports to fellow EU members totaled €69.8 billion in January, while its imports from these countries were €57 billion in the same period.
The country's exports to countries outside the EU amounted to €59.4 billion in January, while imports from these countries totaled €56.1 billion.
Most German exports in January went to the US, down 4.2% from December, with the value of exports to the US dropping to €13 billion.
Germany’s imports in January came mostly from China, down 2.8% monthly, totaling €12.9 billion.
Meanwhile, monthly imports from the US saw a rise, up 6.5% to €8 billion.
Imports from the UK also rose 18.8%, amounting to €3.6 billion in January.
Germany's exports to Russia increased by 7.2% and its imports from Russia dropped 15.7% in January.
On a yearly basis, Germany’s exports dropped 0.1% and its imports rose 8.7% in January.