China’s exports to Brazil grow at a faster pace

Trade between Brazil and China exceeded US$170 billion from January to November, with Beijing increasing its exports at a faster pace than Brazilian sales to the Chinese market grew. The trend is that Brazil’s trade surplus with China will continue to decline.

Last year, China had already surprised the world by exporting US$1 trillion more than it imported. Now, that result has been reached even earlier: in November, China’s trade balance reached US$1.076 trillion, even amid the uncertainties caused by the trade war led by the Donald Trump administration.

In Brazil’s case, data released by the Chinese government show that total bilateral trade amounted to US$170.809 billion from January to November, a 2.2% decrease compared with the same period last year.

In 2024, one of the most significant increases in Chinese exports occurred in Brazil, rising 22% compared with 2023. This year, however, China’s sales to the Brazilian market declined 1.6% from January to November, while Brazilian exports to China fell even further, down 2.6%.

As a result, Brazil’s trade surplus — which was US$63.3 billion in 2023 — fell to US$44 billion last year and is expected to remain near that level in 2025. The trend is for another reduction in Brazil’s balance, especially with the advance of a trade agreement between China and the United States. The Trump administration is pressuring Beijing to increase purchases of U.S. products, starting with soybeans, one of Brazil’s main exports to the Chinese market. This agreement alone could cost Brazilian exporters around US$4 billion next year.

Below is a historical overview of Brazil’s container exports and imports to and from China starting in January 2022. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Container Exports and Imports to China | Jan 2022 to Oct 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Despite facing restrictions in different markets, China has managed to diversify its export destinations and reorganize supply chains amid the tariff war. The expansion of Chinese trade in Latin America is clear: in 2023, China’s trade surplus with the region was only US$2 billion; from January to November 2025, it exceeded US$54 billion.

With Brazil — the region’s largest economy — China still shows a deficit (which is shrinking). Still, in Latin America as a whole, Chinese exports grew 7.1% from January to November, while Chinese imports from the region advanced only 2.2%. China exported US$271.6 billion to Latin American countries during the period, while importing US$220.9 billion.

In November, China’s global trade surplus reached US$111.68 billion, the third-highest figure ever recorded in a single month. In the first 11 months of the year, the accumulated surplus grew 21.7% compared with the same period last year.

China has increased sales of automobiles, solar panels, and consumer electronics not only to Latin America but also to Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe. Traditional manufacturers from Germany, Japan, and South Korea have been losing market share to Chinese companies. At the same time, producers in Asia and Africa report factory closures due to an inability to compete with China’s low prices.

With the European Union, China now sells twice as much as it buys, benefiting from a nearly 30% depreciation of the renminbi against the euro. Prices are falling in China, but rising in Europe and the United States.

With the United States, trade declined 17.5% this year. Even so, China continues to export far more to the United States than it imports: US$385.9 billion in exports versus US$128.7 billion in imports.

Source: A Tribuna

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