Brazil and China: An assessment of recent trade relations

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze Brazil/China trade relations over the twenty-first century, highlighting the performance and composition of exports and imports, as well as developments in the relative importance of China for Brazil in this field. Assuming this trade relationship as an important part of a strategic partnership of these countries, the main conclusions are: (a) there was a significant increase in the Brazil/China trade in the period, which substantially raised China’s relative share in the Brazilian foreign trade; (b) despite of this feature, the dynamics of the evolution of exports is fundamentally different from that presented by imports, which requires greater Brazilian assessment for managing the commercial policy of the country.