Nowadays， Latin American countries are increasingly of great importance to China in terms of economic and trade relations. Take Brazil for example， it has become China’s most important partner， both as a market for Chinese goods and as a source of raw materials. Brazil supplies some 45% of all China’s soybean imports and is also the source for other agricultural products， as well as iron ore and petroleum. It has becomes clear that China’s trade with Latin America has fuelled a boom in the region’s export sectors in countries such as Argentina， Brazil， Chile， Peru and Venezuela.From the beginning of 2011， China’s Foreign Trade magazine will keep a close look on what happened in Latin American countries’ trade agenda. In this issue， we prick three countries， namely Brazil， Chile and Argentina， for your reference.BrazilBrazil reported a trade surplus equivalent to US$662 million in November of 2010. Brazil has an export-oriented economy. The main exports are transport equipment， iron ore， industrial raw materials， soybeans， footwear， coffee， autos， automotive parts， machinery. Brazil imports machinery， electrical and transport equipment， chemical products， automotive part and electronics. The primary trading partners of Brazil are The United States， European Union and Argentina. main exports are transport equipment， iron ore， soybeans， footwear， coffee， autos， automotive parts， machinery. Brazil accounts for 25% of global exports of raw cane and refined sugar; it is the world leader in soybean exports and is responsible for 80% of the planet’s orange juice. Brazil’s largest exports markets are European Union， United Sates， Argentina， China and Venezuela.Brazil imports were worth US$11.4 billion in November of 2010. Brazil imports machinery， electrical and transport equipment， chemical products， automotive part and electronics. Brazil’s main import partners are European Union， United States， China and Argentina.According to Figure 3， China has been running a trade deficit to Brazil in the first 11 months of 2010， with the trade gap becoming increasingly large from the beginning of the year. That is probably mainly because China boasts a huge demand for Brazil’s iron ore， soybean and refined sugar.ChileChile reported a balance of trade surplus equivalent to US$1.57 billion in November of 2010. Chile’s economy is highly dependent on international trade. Exports accounts for about 42% of its GDP. Chile has traditionally been dependent upon copper exports. Its main trading partners are European Union， The United States， China and Argentina.Chile exports were worth US$6.550 billion in November of 2010. The state-owned firm CODELCO is the world’s largest copper-producing company. The most important non-mineral exports are forestry and wood products， wine， fresh fruit and processed food， fishmeal and seafood. Chile’s largest exports markets are European Union， United States， Japan， China and South Korea.Chile imports were worth US$4.96 billion in November of 2010. Chile imports petroleum and petroleum products， chemicals， electrical and telecommunications equipment， industrial machinery， vehicles and natural gas. Chile’s main import partners are United States， European Union， Argentina， Brazil and China.ArgentinaArgentina reported a trade surplus equivalent to US$390 million in November of 2010. Growth in foreign trade， especially trade with MERCOSUR partners， has been one of the main factors driving the Argentine economy. Its main trading partners are Brazil， Chile， European Union and The United States.Argentina exports were worth US$5.96 billion in November of 2010. Argentine exports are mainly of the agricultural type， mostly processed goods (54% of the total). The main exports are soybean products， cereals， beef， motor vehicles and parts， chemicals and medicine. Argentine’s largest exports markets are Brazil， European Union， China， United Sates and Chile.Argentina imports were worth US$5.57 billion in November of 2010. Argentina is a major importer of industrial and computing machinery and parts， industrial supplies， automobiles and other consumer durables， refined fuels and lubricants. Main import partners are Brazil， European Union， United States and China.
