RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – International trade between Chilean companies and China has increased, according to the Studies Department of the National Customs Service. The agency evidenced that exports rose 39.5% with US$ 26,233.2 million and 61.6% in imports that totaled US$ 17,513.8 million, all in comparison to the same 9-month period of 2020.
“The realization of the mutual recognition of our AEO programs is a consequence of the relationship we have established at the customs level with our peers in China and, in turn, an incentive to continue strengthening the facilitation and control work we do with respect to Chinese trade. This type of tool allows us to be more efficient and increase the degree of security of the logistic chain to be able to face risks, but without affecting the fluidity of trade,” explained the National Customs Director, José Ignacio Palma.
Read also: Check out our coverage on Chile
SHIPMENTS ABROAD
For this period, China remained the leading buyer of Chilean products with a 38.4% share of total exports, which were strongly linked to the mining sector that represented 83.9% of total shipments to that country, reaching US$22.002 billion and an increase of 48.4% with respect to the same period of the previous year.
Within the basket of mining products, copper ores and concentrates accounted for 64.3% of the mining sector’s exports, with an increase of 84.3%, and copper, the second-largest share, with 25.4%, and a negative variation of 2.7%.
Meanwhile, 16.1% of exports to China corresponded to non-mining products, totaling US$4.231 billion. Fruits and fruits accounted for 35.1%, registering an increase of 12.1% and totaling US$1.486 billion. This increase is explained mainly by the positive variation of 19.7% recorded by cherries compared to 2020.
Forest products and their derivatives accounted for 33.4% of domestic non-mining sales to China, with a positive variation of 23.0% compared to the same period in 2020, mainly due to the 26.9% increase in the number of pulp shipments. The Other food group accounted for 12.6% of non-mining exports but showed a 5.9% decrease.
The wine sector showed a positive variation of 65.9% due to the 57.0% increase in wine exports and the positive variation of 123.4% in grape must. Within seafood products, salmon and trout (US$ 51 million) showed a decrease of 59.2%.
IMPORTS
China was the country’s leading supplier, with a 28.3% share between January and September. 1.3% of imports from China to Chile corresponded to imports of fuels and lubricants, which increased by 21.2%. Imports of non-fuel products recorded an increase of 62.3% compared to the same period of 2020.
Purchases of Chinese Machinery presented a positive variation of 30.1% in relation to 2020, caused by the acquisitions of mechanical shovels, excavators, loaders, and shovel loaders that had an increase of 322.7% and centrifuges and apparatus for filtering or purifying liquids or gases and their parts, which had an increase of 77.2%.
The Technology sector showed an increase of 75.8% with respect to the same nine months of 2020, due to the rise presented in all its products and particularly in the importation of televisions (132.9%), video game consoles, and video game machines (103.8%), and computers and their parts (100.0%).
Meanwhile, the entry into the country of goods classified under the category of means of transport and their parts presented an increase of 178.7%, that is to say. Clothing, accessories, and footwear products registered a positive variation of 25.4%.