SÃO PAULO — China exported $45.6 billion of manufactured steel goods to Latin America last year, an 11-percent increase from 2011.

Latin America took 7 percent of the indirect steel trade from China, the regional steel association Alacero said.

Brazil took the largest share of Chinese manufactured steel products at $11.29 billion, followed by Mexico at $9 billion (up 19 percent from 2011) and Venezuela at $4.6 million (a 48-percent increase).

The most abundant imports were cars and commercial vehicles ($6.88 billion), office machines ($6.69 billion) and machinery and equipment ($5.41 billion), which together represented 42 percent of Chinese indirect steel trade exports to the region, Alacero said.

A version of this article was first published by AMM sister publication Steel First.