German war opposition hits US trade

GERMANY'S opposition to the war in Iraq has triggered a sharp drop in exports to the US. Official statistics today showed German exports to the US fell 11.5% in April to e5.1bn (£3.1bn) against a year ago while exports to China jumped 21.7% to e1.5bn.

Acknowledging the war link, a spokesman for Germany's foreign trade body said the fall in US exports could not be blamed on a strong euro and poor US growth alone.