Despite decreasing demands from overseas, China will probably pass Germany to become the world’s largest exporter in 2009, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The MOC also predicted that the country’s exports in 2009 will drop by 16.5 percent year-on-year to around 1.19 trillion USD.

2009 was the hardest year in Chinese trade history but the nation has made many positive achievements, the ministry said, adding that China is likely to takeover Germany this year as the world's biggest exporter with its market share of global exports rising to 9 percent from 8.8 percent last year.

According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), during the first half of 2009, China, for the first time in seven years, passed Germany in export earnings with a turnover of 521.7 billion USD, compared to Germany’s 521.6 billion USD.

Economists have predicted that this trend will be repeated during the second half of 2009 and in the years ahead.

On December 26, the Federation of German Industries said that Germany's exports in 2009 are forecast to drop by 18 percent from the previous year to 992.7 billion EUR./.