Ushering in Greater Accomplishments
By LI JINZHANG
Brazil is a vast land with rich resources. This land of lively people, passionate dancers, mellow coffee, verdant forests and turquoise seas is a gleaming gem of the Southern Hemisphere. Though separated by vast oceans, the two countries have a long tradition of intercultural relations. Two centuries ago, the first Chinese tea growers reached Brazil after two months at sea. In Brazil they settled the land and began cultivating the seeds of friendship. More Chinese have arrived, helping Brazilians build up the country. On August 15, 1974, China and Brazil established formal diplomatic ties and began a new chapter in bilateral relations.
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The Brazilian stand at the Third China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services on May 28 featured World Cup products. |
Over the past 40 years, the two countries have witnessed enormous transitions. Tested by time and tide, Sino-Brazilian relations continue to advance steadily. In 1993, Brazil was the first country to establish a strategic partnership with China. In 2012, these ties were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Today, relations between the two countries have never been better.
Mutual trust between the two countries is growing steadily. There are frequent high-level exchanges and political dialogue mechanisms are continuously improved at every level. The China-Brazil High-level Coordination and Cooperation Committee has held three sessions, and stepped up cooperation in a wide range of fields. The two governments signed a series of key documents including a 2010-2014 Joint Action Plan and Ten-year Cooperation Plan. Moreover, the two sides have agreed to set up a comprehensive strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign ministries. Exchanges between legislatures and political parties of the two countries are increasing and, through international organizations like the UN, WTO, G20, BRICS and BASIC, China and Brazil maintain sound communications and coordination in major global issues such as global governance, international economic and financial reform, and climate change, to name a few. Both countries are working for the overall interests of developing countries, maintaining world peace and stability and promoting common prosperity.
The rapid growth of trade and investment cooperation is a highlight of bilateral relations. The volume of trade has soared from US $17.4 million in 1974, when the two countries established diplomatic ties, to US $90.3 billion in 2013, a 5,000-fold increase. From 1974 to 2009, China’s investments in Brazil reached only US $200 million. Over the past five years the figure swelled rapidly and now exceeds US $20 billion. China’s investments cover many areas including automobiles, energy, manufacturing, finance and infrastructure construction. China is now Brazil’s top trading partner, largest export market, largest source of imports and a major investor. Meantime, Brazil is China’s trading partner in Latin America and within BRICS. Both sides have conducted fruitful exchanges in the fields of finance, agriculture, energy and infrastructure construction. The central banks of the two sides signed a currency-swap agreement and financial institutions have opened branches in other countries. The China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite Program is hailed as a great example of South-South Cooperation in high technology. A Chinese company won the bid as part of a consortium to develop a pre-salt oil discovery in Brazil, marking a new step in energy cooperation. Sino-Brazilian cooperation in every fields has benefited the two countries and their peoples.
China and Brazil are not only distant in geography, but in culture and language as well. Over the years, the two sides have made joint efforts to advance cultural exchanges to increase mutual understanding between the two peoples. Chinese and Brazilian cultural months were organized in the respective countries. Brazilian samba and football are widely known in China, and there is a craze for Chinese language and culture in Brazil. Chinese media are taking more interest in Brazil and covering more news on it. Seven Confucius Institutes and two Confucius Classrooms were set up in Brazil, the most among Latin American countries. Likewise, Portuguese is taught in several Chinese universities. Cultural exchanges strengthen the emotional ties of the people, cementing public support for bilateral relations.
