In April, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began a state visit to China — Brazil’s largest trading partner — accompanied by a delegation of businessmen, governors, federal representatives, senators, and ministers.
“In his last interview before departing, granted to the program A Voz do Brasil, Lula emphasized the goal of the trip: to rekindle relations with China, which had cooled in recent years.”
“On this trip, we aim to consolidate our relationship with China. I will invite [President] Xi Jinping to come to Brazil, to get to know Brazil in a bilateral meeting, to show him our projects. What we want is to build a partnership with the Chinese people, to foster cooperation with them, so they can invest in new initiatives such as highways, railways, hydroelectric plants,” he stated.
Chinese imports of Brazilian products, particularly soy and minerals, exceeded $89.7 billion in 2022, while Chinese exports to Brazil reached nearly $60.7 billion. Since Lula’s first visit to the country in 2004, the total traded volume has increased 21 times, reaching a value of $150.4 billion.
How is the cooperation between the two largest developing countries in recent decades in trade, infrastructure, space technology, and culture? Here’s a look at the ties.
Diplomacy
- Nearly five decades of relations since their establishment in 1974.
- Brazil was the first developing country to establish a strategic partnership with China in 1993.
- Brazil was the first Latin American country to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in 2012.
Trade
- China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years.
- Brazil is China’s largest investment destination in Latin America.
- Bilateral trade exceeded $100 billion for five consecutive years.
- The volume of bilateral trade grew by 4.9% from 2021 to 2022, reaching $171 billion.
Finance
- The two countries exchanged local currencies worth 190 billion yuan for 60 billion reais.
- They launched a joint investment promotion fund with an initial sum of $20 billion in 2017.
- They signed a memorandum of cooperation on establishing renminbi compensation arrangements in Brazil in February 2023.
Infrastructure
- The partnership has boosted the development of Brazilian infrastructure.
- Projects include the ultra-high voltage system to transport energy from the Belo Monte Dam to Southeast Brazil.
- The Port of São Luís and the LBD wind expansion.
Aerospace
- They began cooperating in space research in 1988.
- In 1999, the first Sino-Brazilian satellite for earth resources was launched.
- The satellite provided over 6 million images, widely used in agriculture, forestry, and water conservation.
Culture
- 11 Confucius Institutes.
- 3 Confucius classrooms in Brazil.
- Both countries have language proficiency exam centers for each other.
- 7 cultural exchange plans have been signed between the two countries since 1985.
Source: China Daily and Agência Brasil