German exports will grow by up to 3% this year and hit a record high of nearly 1.4 trillion euros, the BGA trade association said, suggesting that companies are able to expand foreign business despite trade disputes and Brexit.

Imports are expected to increase by 5% to reach an all-time high of 1.14 trillion euros in 2019, BGA head Holger Bingmann told.

Bingmann criticised Economy Minister Peter Altmaier's new industrial strategy, which envisages a shift towards a more interventionist policy to tackle an assertive China. Bingmann adding that the government should fight efforts in Europe to weaken competition and the free flow of market forces.