Trading Partner Portal: Belgium
Overview
Interview Series Featuring California’s Key Trading Partners – Featuring Gunther Sleeuwagen, Consul General of Belgium in Los Angeles:
Highly Diversified, Shared Connections Form Network for Growing Trade Relations
CalChamber, October 16, 2020
Trade Overview
Belgium is a high-income nation with a nominal GDP of $662 billion. As a relatively small country, Belgium is comparatively dense with a population roughly 11.8 million people. World Bank
Being in Western Europe and a member of the European Union, has allowed Belgium to establish strong trade relationships. Belgium has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995 and before that was a member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) since 1948. Belgium’s main exports are chemicals, machinery, and equipment. They are also large importers of raw materials, machinery, and equipment. In addition, they are a substantial importer of raw diamonds and an exporter of finished diamonds. BEA
U.S. – Belgium Trade
Belgium is the 15th largest export destination for the United States, with exports in goods totaling approximately $34.18 billion. A majority of exports from the United States into Belgium include chemicals ($13.62 billion), miscellaneous manufactures ($4.62 billion), transportation equipment ($2.88 billion), petroleum and coal products ($2.42 billion), and non-electrical machinery ($3.38 billion).
The United States imports around $27.89 billion of merchandise from Belgium. The top categories of imported goods from Belgium include chemicals ($14.98 billion), goods returned ($ 2.44 billion), miscellaneous manufactured commodities ($1.77 billion), transportation equipment ($1.70 billion), and non-electrical machinery ($1.20 billion). U.S. Department of Commerce
Belgium – California Trade
California was the third top exporting state in the U.S. for exports to Belgium with $2.37 billion in goods exported in 2024. Chemicals was the top export to Belgium at $675 million, followed by miscellaneous manufactures at $408 million. Other key exports to Belgium were computer and electronic products ($336 million), non-electrical machinery ($296 million), and petroleum & coal products ($161 million).
Furthermore, California imports roughly $895 billion of goods from Belgium. This included, transportation equipment ($171 million), petroleum & coal products ($157 million), processed foods ($137 million), reimports ($60 million), and computer and electronic products ($58 million). U.S. Department of Commerce
FDI- Belgium
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States from Belgium totaled $73.5 billion in 2023. As of 2021, Belgian FDI supported 75,900 jobs in the United States. $363 million has been invested in research and development and another $3.8 billion has gone into expanding U.S. exports. The top industry sectors in the U.S. that receive FDI from Belgium are software and IT services, food and beverages, plastics, chemicals, industrial equipment, and business services. Select USA.
FDI from the U.S. into Belgium totaled $66.5 billion in the 2023, an increase of 3.1 percent from 2022. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce
In California in 2024, the twenty-third country for FDI through foreign-owned enterprises (FOEs) is Belgium. Belgian FOEs in California provide 4,357 jobs through 123 firms amounting to $487 million in wages. The top jobs by sector are manufacturing, transp., warehousing, & utilities, professional and business services, other services, and information. (World Trade Center Los Angeles FDI Report, 2025).
Trade Agreements
Trade Agreements and Issues
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Belgium is one of the nations that is currently involved in negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the rest of the European Union and the United States. The United States and the European Union have a strong bilateral trade relationship totaling $698.7 billion in 2015. A free trade agreement, such as TTIP, desires to strengthen that relationship by eliminating tariffs, aligning compatible regulations to open trade, and furthering trade in the service sector.
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
USTR Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
Events
Events
Belgium Consul General Reviews Trade/ Investment with CalChamber 2009
Consul General Geert M. Criel with the Consulate General of Belgium in Los Angeles, visits with Susanne Stirling, CalChamber vice president of international affairs, as part of a February 11 stop in Sacramento to meet with government officials, private sector companies and business associations to discuss trade and investment opportunities. California exports more than $2 billion to Belgium with a 36 percent increase of computer and electronic exports last year.