The value of Dutch exports to China soared €500m to nearly €5bn in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period in 2019, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.

This means the Netherlands is now just ahead of France as the second biggest exporter of goods to China in the EU, the CBS says. Germany tops the list with exports worth €29bn in the first four months of the year.

Machinery, baby milk powder and pork head the list of Dutch exports, with pork exports more than doubling. However the export of industrial waste more than halved, and now accounts for €140m of the total. This follows a Chinese import ban on certain types of waste, the CBS said.