Brasilia, Brazil, 4 Feb – In January Brazil posted a trade deficit of US$822 million with China, almost half of the value posted in 2007, according to official figures published Friday in Brasilia.

Figures from the Foreign Trade Secretariat showed that Brazilian exports to China totaled US$654 million and rose 17.2 percent against the same month of 2007.

The figures also showed that Brazilian imports of Chinese products in the period, to the value of US$1.536 billion, almost doubled, having risen 94.2 percent.

In 2007, the year in which China occupied second place in the list of Brazil’s suppliers, behind the United States, the sale of Chinese products generated a trade deficit with Brazil of US$1.868 billion.

The figures from the Foreign Trade Secretariat showed that in 2007 China was responsible for 10.5 percent of the Brazilian import market and in January of this year that figure was 12.4 percent.

In January Brazil posted trade surpluses with Aladi (Latin American Integration Association, which includes Mercosul) and the European Union (EU) of US$1.049 billion and US$611 million, respectively. (macauhub)