China provided Brazil with US$22.275 billion or 33.2% of the country’s balance of trade surplus in 2017, when it posted a record surplus of US$67 billion, with exports of US$217.7 billion and imports amounting to US$150.7 billion, according to official figures.

China, which has been Brazil’s main trading partner for years after overtaking the United States, exported US$27.903 billion’s worth of goods to the country and imported goods worth US$50.18 billion, generating a surplus for Brazil of US$22.275 billion, according to figures released by the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services.

Imports by Chinese companies of Brazilian products in 2017 showed year-on-year growth of 35.3% due to purchases of soybeans and soy oil, minerals, oil, beef, cellulose, hydrocarbons, alloys, animals, cotton and aircraft.

Brazilian companies, for their part, imported products worth 18% more than those registered in 2016, namely transmitter/receiver components and devices, printed circuits, flat laminates, semiconductor devices, automotive parts, integrated circuits, fertilizers, electromechanical and air conditioning equipment, automatic machines, pumps and compressors, and tires.

The main destination countries for Brazilian exports in 2017 were China, with US$50.2 billion, followed by the United States with US$26.9 billion, Argentina with US$17.6 billion, the Netherlands in fourth with US$9.3 billion and Japan in fifth with US$5.3 billion.

The main suppliers to Brazil were China, with US$27.9 billion, the United States with US$24.8 billion, Argentina with US$9.4 billion, Germany with US$9.2 billion and South Korea in fifth with US$5.2 billion. (macauhub)