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 pick three countries， namely Mexico， Peru and Venezuela， for your reference.MexicoMexico reported a trade deficit equivalent to US$102 million in November of 2010. Mexico is the biggest exporter and importer in Latin America. Mexican trade is fully integrated with that of its North American partners: close to 86% of Mexican exports and 50% of its imports are traded with The United States and Canada. Mexico’s major exports are: manufactured goods， oil and oil products， silver， fruits， vegetables， coffee and cotton. Mexico imports mainly include metal working machines， steel mill products， agricultural machinery and electrical equipment.Mexico exports were worth US$2.815 billion in November of 2010. Mexico is the biggest exporter in Latin America. Mexico’s major exports are: manufactured goods， oil and oil products， silver， fruits， vegetables， coffee and cotton. Mexican trade is fully integrated with that of its North American partners: 82% of Mexican exports are with the United States.Mexico imports were worth US$2.825 billion in November of 2010. Mexico is the biggest importer in Latin America. Mexico imports are mainly metal working machines， steel mill products， agricultural machinery， electrical equipment， car parts for assembly， repair parts for motor vehicles and aircrafts. Its main import partner is United States. Mexico also imports from European Union， China and Japan.PeruPeru reported a trade surplus equivalent to 424 million PEN in October of 2010. Peru’s major exports are fish products， gold， silver， copper， zinc， lead， coffee， asparagus， and textiles. Peru’s imports mainly petroleum and petroleum products， plastics， machinery， vehicles， iron and steel， wheat and paper. Its main trading partners are: the United States， European Union， China and Brazil.Peru exports were worth US$3.083 billion in October of 2010. Peru’s major exports are fish products， minerals(gold， silver， copper， zinc， lead)， agricultural products (coffee， asparagus)， petroleum products， and textiles. Peru’s main exports partners are the United States， European Union and China.Peru imports were worth US$2.659 billion in October of 2010. Peru’s major imports are petroleum and petroleum products， plastics， machinery， vehicles， iron and steel， wheat and paper. Its main import partners are United States， China， European Union， Brazil and Ecuador.VenezuelaVenezuela reported a trade surplus equivalent to US$74.46 billion in the third quarter of 2010. The petroleum sector accounts for around 80% of Venezuela’s export earnings. Thanks to petroleum exports， the country usually posts a trade surplus. Venezuela imports mostly raw materials， machinery and equipment， transport equipment and construction materials. Its main trading partners are: the United States (49% exports， 24% imports)， European Union and Brazil.Venezuela exports were worth US$15.49 billion in the third quarter of 2010. The economy of Venezuela is based in large part on oil. The petroleum sector accounts for around 80% of export earnings. Venezuela also exports steel， aluminum， transport equipment， textiles， apparel， beverages， and foodstuffs. The United States is Venezuela’s leading trade partner.Venezuela imports were worth US$9397 billions in the third of 2010. Venezuela imports mostly raw materials， machinery and equipment， transport equipment and construction materials. Its main import partners are United States， European Union， Brazil， Colombia and China.
