Germany has lost its status as the world's leading exporter, as a surging economy pushed China into first place last year, according to official German data published Tuesday. Chinese exports amounted to $1.2 trillion in 2009, while German exports totaled $1.1 trillion, the German Federal Statistical Office said. Germany became the top world exporter in 2003, surpassing the United States. The value of goods exported from United States for the first 11 months of 2009 was $947.5 billion. Aside from the country's sheer size, it was the global economic downturn that propelled China past Germany as top exporter. Germany's main trading partners, the United States and the European Union, cut back on investments, while consumers cut back on spending and banks cut back on lending. Last year Germany also sustained the worst annual decline in its trade balance since figures were first gathered in the 1950s. Although German exports still outpaced imports by 136.1 billion euros, or $187.6 billion, in 2009, the surplus in 2008 was 178.3 billion euros. The decline in German exports was most acute inside the European Union, Germany's largest market. Exports to the bloc fell 19.1 percent in 2009, to 503.5 billion euros. Exports to countries not in the European Union fell 17.1 percent, to 299.7 billion euros. German exports to the United States have been particularly hard hit by the global downturn, with sectors including engineering, forest products, furniture and automobiles reporting sharp declines in exports. The Federation of German Industries, an influential employers' group, said Tuesday that 'it had only been a question of time' before China would become the world's No.1 exporter, in part because of the magnitude of the export sector in the Chinese economy. 'In terms of those living and working in China, it is about 15 times more than Germany,' said Werner Schnappauf, director of the federation, which represents 100,000 businesses with 8 million employees. Marc Tenbieg, adviser to the German Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, said that even if China retained the top spot, Germany's export sector would remain the engine of the German economy. He said the group had been surprised that Germany had held on so long, 'given the huge rise of China and the sheer size of its economy.' In China, it is not just the exports that are doing well. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers announced Tuesday that auto sales surged 143 percent from a year earlier and production leaped 124 percent. A few analysts had expressed fears that auto sales might be weak in January because the government partly rescinded a sales tax cut for cars with engines of 1.6 liters or less. Having cut the tax to 5 percent a year ago, from 10 percent, the government raised it to 7.5 percent at the start of this year. Car ownership remains extremely popular in China, personal incomes are rising and consumer confidence is strong. Dealerships in China have weeks-long waiting lists for many models, and months-long waiting lists for some of the most popular models. The A share index on the Shanghai stock exchange climbed 0.58 percent in early trading on Wednesday in response to the auto sales figures, which had been released after the close of trading on Tuesday. 