Germany boosts trade with Eastern Europe

Germany traded $165 billion with Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the first quarter of this year, 16 percent more than the $142 billion it traded with the United States and China combined over the same period, Handelsblatt reported yesterday. Germany is building up its trade relations with Eastern Europe, reducing its reliance on the U.S. and China while empowering its ambitions to build a third global superpower.