The nine-nation bloc of Portuguese-speaking countries set a new record last year for purchases from China, importing US$88.1 billion in goods, up 3.1 percent year-on-year. It marks the highest value since the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Forum Macao) began collating relevant data from China’s General Administration of Customs in 2013.
Brazil held onto its position as the largest importer in the bloc, despite dipping 0.7 percent to US$71.6 billion. Portugal came in a distant second at US$7.19 billion, an increase of 17.7 percent over the previous year. In third, Angola bought 47.8-percent more, totalling US$4.79 billion for 2025.
São Tomé and Príncipe recorded the largest increase (up 106.6%) with total purchases from China amounting to US$299.41 million. Guinea-Bissau was the only country other than Brazil to buy less in 2025, dropping 14.3 percent to US$83.58 million.
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China on the other hand bought less last year from the nine-nation bloc, whose exports to China dipped 1.4 percent. Totalling US$137.7 billion, sales to China last year hit their lowest value since 2021, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A 9.1-percent drop in exports from Angola, the second-largest supplier in the bloc, drove the decline. Portugal, taking the third spot, saw its exports decrease by 10.2 percent to US$2.85 billion. Five of the nine Portuguese-speaking countries sold less to China in 2025.
Brazil held onto its top spot with a modest increase of 0.3 percent to US$116.4 billion. Exports from Timor-Leste soared nearly 3,000 percent, from US$881,000 to $27.2 million.
Despite shifts in its favour, China continued to post a trade deficit with the bloc, reaching US$49.6 billion in 2025. Total trade between China and the bloc improved slightly, up 0.3 percent to US$225.79 billion for 2025.
