BERLIN: Malaysia continued to retain its leading position as Asean's number one exporter to Germany in the first nine months of the year.

According to the Hamburg-based German-Asia Pacific Business Council, Malaysia's exports to Germany rose 47.9% to 4.046 billion euros during the January-September 2010 period, from 2.736 billion euros previously.

However, Malaysia's imports from Germany for the first nine months of the year also expanded 42.5% to 3.168 billion euros from 2.228 billion in the previous corresponding period.

Germany's imports have been buoyed by the strong economic recovery which the country staged, even as other countries in the West, particularly the United States, continue to be mired in the crisis that has not fully receded.

Total Asean exports to Germany grew 37.7% to 17.11 billion euros while Asean imports into Germany climbed 33.8% to 13.025 billion euros during the period under review.

The Asia-Pacific region's total exports to Germany amounted to 111.725 billion euros during the January-September 2010 period, up 33.1% from 83.349 billion euros registered a year earlier.

German exports to the Asia-Pacific region also jumped 39.1% to 91.312 billion euros from 65.629 billion euros previously.

Its exports to the Asia-Pacific rose twice as fast as the overall German exports in the first nine-months of the year, thanks to demand from China which rose 49.4% to nearly 39 billion euros.

In effect, over 40% of German exports to Asia were absorbed by China.

Germany's balance-of-trade deficit with the Asia-Pacific region increased slightly, rising from 18.3 billion euros to 20.4 billion euros in the period under review.

- Bernama