By IANS,
Brasilia : Brazil has said it would increase annual exports to China threefold to $30 billion by 2010, EFE reported Friday.
The focus will be on exports of oil and its derivatives, minerals, paper and cellulose, steel products, beef and grains, foreign trade director in the industry and trade ministry, Welber Barral told a seminar here Thursday.
Barral said exports to China would cover products in which Brazil either occupies a leadership position or has a growing presence in world market and added that Brasilia has drawn up a list of 619 “priority” products that are key to its strategy of boosting exports to the Asian economic super power.
He added that a delegation of government and private-sector representatives will travel next week to several Chinese cities to open direct trade negotiations.
Brazil also is seeking to attract Chinese investment in the South American country’s infrastructure projects identified as key to accelerated growth, he said.
Brazil exported products valued at $7.41 billion to China between January and June this year, up by 50.7 percent compared with the figure during the first half of 2007, while imports from the Asian country totalled $8.95 billion, up 71.7 percent relative to the same period of 2007.