Macau, China, 4 March – Trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries rose 101.5 percent year on year in January to US$5.73 billion, according to figures published by the Chinese customs administration.

In the period, China exported goods to eight Portuguese-speaking countries to the total value of US$1.95 billion and imported US$3.77 billion’s worth of goods, or a 49 percent and 147 percent year on year rise, respectively.

Exports from China to Brazil in January totalled US$1.55 billion - 78.70 percent more - whilst Chinese imports from Brazil totalled US$1.86 billion, or 142 percent more.

With Angola, China’s second-largest Portuguese-speaking trading partner, trade totalled US$2.04 billion, or 111 percent more than in January of 2008, with Chinese acquisitions totalling US$1.85 billion - 155 percent more - and sales totalled US$190 million, or 22 percent less.

Portugal, which is China's third Portuguese-speaking partner, bilateral trade totalled US$232 million, with Chinese exports worth US$179 million and Portuguese exports to China worth US$53 million, figures which represent a drop of 0.7 percent in Chinese sales and rise of 76 percent in Portugal's sales to China.

In 2009, trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries fell 18.9 percent year on year to US$62.46 billion.

China set up the Special Administrative Region of Macau as a platform to boost cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries in 2003, the year in which it set up the forum that meets on a ministerial level every three years.