Macau, China, 27 Jan – Trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries fell 18.9 percent year on year to US$62.46 billion in 2009, according to figures published Tuesday by the Chinese customs administration.

In t period, China sold goods to the eight Portuguese-speaking nations totalling US$18.85 billion and imported products from the same countries totalling US$43.61 billion.

Brazil continued to be the main Portuguese-speaking partner for China with total trade of US$42.39 billion, or 12.90 percent less than between January and December, 2008.

Exports from China to Brazil totalled US$14.11 billion – 24.90 percent less – whilst Chinese imports from Brazil totalled US$28.28 billion, or 5.3 percent less.

With Angola, China’s second-largest Portuguese-speaking trading partner, trade totalled US$17.06 billion, or 32.60 percent less than in the previous year, with Chinese acquisitions totalling US$14.67 billion – 34.40 percent less – and sales totalled US$2.3 billion, or 18.90 percent less.

Portugal, which is China’s third Portuguese-speaking partner with trade of US$2.4 billion, imported US$1.92 billion in Chinese goods as compared to China acquiring US$480 million in Portuguese goods, figures which represent a drop of 17 percent in Chinese sales and rise of 24.10 percent in Portugal’s sales to China.

China set up the Special Administrative Region of Macau as a platform to boost cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries in 2003, the year in which it set up the forum that meets on a ministerial level every three years. (macauhub)