The value of Brazilian exports of footwear to China grew to almost US$12 million last year from under US$6 million in 2016, the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association has announced.

The association issued a written statement saying China thus became the 20th-biggest market for Brazilian exports of footwear, and that only exports to Ecuador grew faster.

The value of Chinese exports of shoes to Brazil shrank by 13 per cent to US$31.2 million last year, but China remained the third-biggest source of Brazilian imports of footwear after Vietnam and Indonesia, the association says.