In Latin America, China has forged strong relations with virtually all the region???s states, whose exports to China increased six fold between 2002 and 2007.63 Driven by commodities such as iron ore and soya beans, exports from Brazil to China rose 18-fold between 2000 and 2009 64 and in 2009 China surpassed the US as Brazil???s biggest trading partner, accounting for 12.5 percent of exports.