Columnists – ICL

Jamil Chade

China Surges as

 Brazil’s Largest

 Destination for

 Exports After Trump

 Tariffs

Amcham data shows China bought $50 billion more in Brazilian products than the U.S. in 2026

August 26, 2026 | 5:30 a.m.

Donald Trump’s tariffs on Brazilian products have pushed Brazil’s economy to further strengthen its relationship with China. Data from the Brazil-U.S. Chamber of Commerce — Amcham — shows that the first half of 2026 was marked by a significant widening of China’s lead in the ranking of Brazil’s largest export destinations.

According to the survey, Beijing purchased $69 billion worth of Brazilian goods between January and July 2026, an increase of nearly 20% compared with the same period in 2025.

The second-largest destination — the United States — has been shrinking as a market for Brazilian exports. In total, Brazil sold $20.9 billion worth of goods to American consumers, a 12.2% decline compared with the first seven months of 2025.

The figures indicate that the first half of the year was the weakest period in trade relations between the two countries since 2023.

Among the goods subject to additional tariffs, the decline is even greater, reaching nearly 19%. In crude oil and petroleum, the drop was 25.5%, compared with an 11% contraction in steel. Unroasted coffee exports fell by 34%. Tobacco recorded a 59.6% contraction in July, while wood exports fell by 59%.

The difference, therefore, between what China represents for Brazil and the U.S. market has reached nearly $50 billion. The gap is the largest ever recorded.

For observers, the reality of the tariff dispute is that the crisis with the United States is pushing Brazil in the opposite direction from what the White House intended. Washington has made no secret that reducing China’s influence in Latin America is its main foreign-policy objective for the region.

What has caught the attention of negotiators is that Brazil has also significantly reduced its purchases of U.S. products. Between January and July, imports fell by 10%, to a total of $23 billion.

Even so, the result has been an increase in Brazil’s trade deficit with the United States. The U.S. trade surplus reached $2.3 billion, 122% higher than in 2025.

Meanwhile, Chinese products have been gaining even more market share. Brazil imported $44 billion worth of goods from China during the first seven months of the year, 8% more than its purchases in 2025.

In recent months, officials close to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government have warned U.S. negotiators that the trade crisis between the two countries is reducing the United States’ weight in the Brazilian economy and that this trend would not serve the American strategy of containing China’s growing power.

Lula, in fact, delivered that message to President Donald Trump when the two met in Washington in the middle of the year.

Next Monday, Brazilian and U.S. ministers will attempt to resume trade negotiations. Although the move is viewed positively at the Presidential Palace, few people expect there to be room for a trade agreement before Brazil’s presidential election in October.

For the Brazilian government, however, the hope is that this channel will allow the foundations for a new relationship in 2027 to begin taking shape, should Lula win reelection.

Jamil Chade

Jamil Chade has crossed borders with refugees, witnessed crimes against humanity, traveled with popes, and covered diplomatic summits in more than 70 countries. Based at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, he was named the second most admired journalist in Brazil in 2025. Chade has been a four-time finalist for the Jabuti Prize. He is an ambassador for the Adus Institute, a member of the board of the Vladimir Herzog Institute, and was one of the researchers for Brazil’s National Truth Commission.

https://iclnoticias.com.br/china-dispara-destino-de-vendas-brasileiras/