China's trade with its No 1 trade partner the European Union dropped 20.2 percent year-on-year to $48.78 billion in the first two months of 2009, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Trade with the United States and Japan decreased 17.4 percent and 25.7 percent respectively to $39.43 billion and $28.56 billion.

Customs said the performance with the three biggest trade partners is better than the 27.2 percent drop in the country's overall trade in the same period.