China is poised to become the biggest source of imports for Angola after a robust performance in the fourth quarter of last year, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

Shipments from China to Angola surged 42.2 percent year-on-year to 118.44 billion kwanza (US$1.09 billion) in the October-December period, show figures from the National Statistics Institute of Angola, quoted by Lusa.

In the fourth quarter, China was the second biggest source of imports for Angola, accounting for 15.9 percent of the total. It closely trailed behind Portugal, which accounted for 16.0 percent of Angola’s total imports between October and December.

China could soon overtake Portugal. A joint committee meeting between Angola and China is scheduled for “the coming days” and bilateral trade should be one of the topics under discussion, Lusa reported.

China is already the biggest destination for Angola’s exports. It accounted for 45.3 percent of the country’s exports in the fourth quarter, mainly via the purchase of crude oil.