China has authorised 183 Brazilian coffee companies to ship their beans to the Chinese market, according to a notice from the Chinese embassy in Brasília. The permits, which took effect on 30 July and run for five years, give Brazilian exporters immediate alternative sales channels at a moment of rising trade friction with the United States. The move comes days before Washington’s 50 % tariff on a wide range of Brazilian goods, including coffee, is due to start on 6 August. Brazil supplies about one-third of U.S. coffee demand—roughly eight million 60-kilogram bags a year, valued at an estimated US$4.4 billion—leaving producers scrambling to diversify destinations. China currently buys far less Brazilian coffee than the United States—just 56,000 bags were shipped there in June—but Beijing’s rapid approval of new suppliers signals scope for growth. Analysts say the shift could help reroute affected volumes and soften the blow from U.S. duties; the United States accounts for 12 % of Brazil’s overall exports, compared with 28 % that go to China. In Brasília, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, who labelled the U.S. levies “totally unjustifiable,” are finalising a relief package featuring debt extensions, cheaper credit and temporary wage support for firms caught by the tariff. Economy Minister Fernando Haddad said the measures aim to protect sectors such as coffee, beef and machinery that were excluded from nearly 700 U.S. exemptions. Economists expect the broader impact on Latin America’s largest economy to be limited, yet trade officials are preparing a potential World Trade Organization challenge and say fresh demand from China will be critical to cushioning exporters in the months ahead.