14/07/2016 (Agence Europe) - EU trade deficit with Asia rises to €277 billion. In 2015, the 21 ASEM partners from the Asia-Europe Meeting accounted together for 37% of the total international trade in goods of the EU, with the share of the ASEM partners standing at 29% for EU exports and at 46% for imports, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union published ahead of the 11th ASEM summit on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 July in Oulan-Bator (see other article). Over the period 2005-2015, the EU registered a constant trade deficit with the ASEM partners, always well above €200 billion. In 2015, it stood at €277 bn, down from its peak of €320 bn recorded in 2008 but above its deficit of €219 billion registered in 2013. China alone accounted for 33% of EU exports to ASEM, far more than Russia (14%), Japan (11%) and South Korea (9%) and accounted for 44% of EU imports from ASEM - far more than from Russia (17%). Eurostat data is available at the following address: http://goo.gl/z97hsp . (EH)