Top 10 trading partners of the Chinese mainland in 2014

The Chinese mainland's foreign trade totaled $4.3 trillion, increasing 3.4 percent year on year in 2014 denominated in US dollars, significantly lower than the 7.6 percent rise in 2013 and the 7.5 percent target, due to a slow global recovery, less competitive Chinese made products, less foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector and falling commodity prices.

Factors such as slow global recovery, less competitive Chinese-made products, drop in foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector and falling commodity prices have been blamed for the decline in foreign trade growth.

Despite slow economic growth, the European Union returned to be the largest trading partner of the Chinese mainland in 2014.

Let us take a look of the top 10 trading partners.

No 10 Brazil: $86.58 billion, down by 4% year-on-year

View of Statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

No 9 Russia: $95.28 billion, up by 6.8% year-on-year

The Red Square and the Kremlin are pictured in Moscow city, Russia

No 8 Australia: $136.9 billion, up by 3% year-on-year

Opera House, Sydney

No 7 China's Taiwan region: $198.31 billion, up by 6% year-on-year

A glance of Riyuetan Pool in Taiwan, China

No 6 The Republic of Korea: $290.49 billion, up by 5.9% year-on-year

Sungnyemun gate is seen in downtown Seoul, South Korea

No 5 Japan: $312.44 billion, staying flat year-on-year

Mt Fuji is seen over Tokyo's skyline

No 4 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: $376.09 billion, down by 6.2% year-on-year

Golden Bauhinia Square, Hong Kong

No 3 Association of Southeast Asian Nations: $480.39 billion, up by 8.3% year-on-year

The 11th China-ASEAN, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region

No 2 The United States: $555.12 billion, up by 6.6% year-on-year

The Capitol Hill, the United States

No 1 European Union: $615.14 billion, up by 9.9% year-on-year

The euro-sculpture in front of European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany

Source: 中国经济网