China remained Brazil’s largest trade partner in 2014, despite a 6-percent drop in bilateral trade.

Trade between China and Brazil reached US$77.9 billion last year, dropping from the all-time high of US$83.3 billion recorded during 2013, figures from Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade show.

Sales of Brazilian goods to China totalled US$40.6 billion, down by 12 percent year-on-year, whereas the imports from China stood flat at US$37.3 billion, the ministry said.

China has remained Brazil’s main trade partner since overtaking the United States in 2009.

AFP quoted the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce as saying the bilateral trade in 2014 was “still above” the 2011 and 2012 results.

Brazil posted last year its first annual trade deficit in 14 years as total imports outstripped exports by US$3.9 billion.