Cologne, Germany  - German exports to Asia raced ahead by 11.2 per cent to 48.8 billion euros (70.6 billion dollars) during the first half of the year, the Cologne-based German Office for Foreign Trade (BFAI) said Wednesday.

This compares to a rise of 6.9 per cent for total German exports during the same period.

The BFAI said that the figures confirm China as Germany's key trading partner in the Asian-Pacific region. German exports to China jumped by 20.6 per cent to 16.8 billion euros in the first six months of the year.

German exports to India, Australia and Indonesia also gained more than 20 per cent in the period under review. (dpa)