Imported soybeans from Brazil are being unloaded from the ship at the Longkou Port in Yantai, East China’s Shandong Province, on June 17, 2025. Photo: CFP

By Brasil 247 - Brazil's exports to China rose 15% in September 2025 compared with the same month a year earlier, according to data from the Brazil-China Business Council (CEBC). Over the same period, sales to the US dropped 20%, reflecting the impact of trade barriers imposed by the US.

China remains Brazil's dominant trade partner

Between January and September 2025, Brazil exported goods worth $75.5 billion to China — a slight 1.3% decrease from the same period in 2024. Despite the small dip, China remained Brazil's leading trade destination, accounting for 29.3% of total exports, nearly three times the share of the US (11.3%). Brazil's overall exports grew 1.1% during the period, while shipments to the US fell 0.6%.

Brazil's trade surplus with China reached $22 billion in the first nine months of 2025, while its deficit with the US widened to $5.1 billion — almost four times higher than in 2024. Analysts attribute the imbalance to Washington's new tariffs on Brazilian products. Meanwhile, Brazilian imports from China climbed 15.4% in the same period, outpacing overall import growth (8.2%) and imports from the US (11.8%). China accounted for 25% of Brazil's total imports, followed by the US with 16%.

Industrial and agricultural exports reshape trade flow

Brazil's manufacturing industry was the only major sector to increase its share of total exports, rising to 20.8% and posting a 19.5% jump in sales to $15.7 billion. By contrast, shipments of manufactured goods to the US grew by just 0.4%.

China also dominated Brazil's agricultural exports, absorbing half of the country's farm sales from January to September. Spain came a distant second with 4%. The Asian giant showed similar dominance in the extractive sector, purchasing about half of all Brazilian mining exports, compared with 7% for the US.

Among destinations for Brazilian chicken, China fell from first to fourth, behind Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan. It also dropped to third in pork imports, trailing the Philippines and Japan.

Exports of iron ore and oil to China declined 11% and 9%, respectively, while soybean revenues grew 2%, supported by an 11% rise in shipment volume. Among industrial goods, ferroalloys — mainly ferronickel and ferroniobium — posted the strongest growth, surging 49% and becoming the fastest-growing export category to China in 2025.

Manufactured products represented 99.6% of Brazil's imports from China in the first nine months of the year. When considering all industrial imports, China was Brazil's largest supplier with a 27% share, followed by the US (15.8%) and Germany (5.6%).

(Reported by Brasil 247 on October 22, 2025)