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By Marcos Galvão
Brazil and China celebrate 50 years of bilateral relations today, August 15. As we know, the word "celebrate" has two main connotations. One is to "remember," to "recall." Another is to "praise," to "rejoice." The past five decades of Sino-Brazilian ties deserve to be celebrated on both counts – as a recollection of a rich history and as a well-deserved recognition of a successful partnership.
Surely enough, Brazil and China each have their own history, culture, identity, political system and economic reality. But this diversity has never prevented both countries from objectively identifying common interests and pragmatically pursuing shared aspirations. It has never prevented two countries that are geographical opposites to becoming esteemed friends. As the ancient Chinese poem goes, "If in this world one has an understanding friend, then the ends of the Earth seem like next door." Above all, we commemorate today this proximity between distant friends.
Our relationship has gradually evolved to become comprehensive and deep, befitting of the ties between the largest developing countries of the Western and Eastern hemispheres. This positive evolution did not happen by chance. It was a deliberate construction, based on two main ingredients: mutual respect and trust. For half a century, successive generations of political leaders, diplomats, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, and researchers, among others, have built the multifaceted and dense relationship that Brazil and China enjoy today.
At the government level, this friendship was nurtured and expanded through different mechanisms of dialogue and collaboration. Of them, the most important one is the China-Brazil High-level Coordination and Cooperation Committee, or COSBAN in the Portuguese acronym. Headed by vice presidents of both countries, it is a vast architecture that comprises 11 subcommittees and 16 working groups that regularly meet to advance our relations. The Global Strategic Dialogue between our foreign ministers and its 10 thematic subcommittees play a similar role in the coordination between both foreign services.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng shakes hands with Vice President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Geraldo Alckmin in Beijing, capital of China, June 6, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
One particularly visible dimension of the evolution of the relationship between Brazil and China is trade. In the mid-1970s, trade exchanges between Brazil and China stood at less than $10 million. Fast forward to 2023 and total trade had risen to $157 billion. When we commemorated 15 years of diplomatic relations in 1989, China accounted for less than 1.5 percent of Brazilian trade – now, it corresponds to 27 percent. China has been Brazil's largest trading partner for more than a decade. Brazil has been the number one supplier of agricultural products for China, proudly contributing to its development and food security.
The present geopolitical context only underlines the significance of such a robust commercial relationship. We live in a world where economic decisions are increasingly driven by political, strategic or security considerations, leading to a redesign of supply chains based on ideas such as "nearshoring" or "friendshoring." In such a context, our commercial ties remain a testament to the strength of a partnership that transcends geography and is immune to politicization – an example of what one might call "trustshoring." Brazil knows it can count on China as its major trading partner; China knows it can count on Brazil as a stable, reliable supplier of critical goods – a mutual trust that generates mutual benefits.
An increasingly important dimension of China-Brazil relations have been investments. Several Brazilian companies are present in China, and China has become a large source of investments in Brazil. It is a partnership that has benefited Brazilian infrastructure, especially in the energy sector. In particular, China's unrivalled technology in ultra-high-voltage transmission lines have greatly contributed to the integration of the Brazilian electricity grid and, as a result, to the stable supply of energy to businesses and to the quality of life of Brazilian families. In the automobile sector, Chinese companies are already establishing plants in Brazil to explore the vast Brazilian market – and hopefully many more will come, bringing new technologies and creating jobs. In oil and gas, Chinese companies have been successfully exploring new opportunities in Brazil. These are but a few examples of in our country, a stock of more than $70 billion.
A third dimension of our relationship is science and technology. Since the 1980s, Brazil and China have been developing and jointly launching satellites. The China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellites program (or CBERS) is a model of scientific collaboration between developing countries, and of a cooperation that positively impacts the world. The most recent versions of CBERS will be employed to combat illegal deforestation in Brazil and help authorities fight environmental crimes.
In fact, our joint work in environment protection is full of potential and has been a priority. Brazil has one of the cleanest energy mixes in the world and is one of the greenest countries of the G20, with around 90 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources. China is leading the world in electric vehicles, solar panels and wind power generation – in fact, Chinese investments in these areas are helping make Brazil's energy mix even greener. During President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's state visit to China in 2023, he and President Xi Jinping signed a leader's declaration on fighting climate change and promoting sustainable development, and decided to create a specific mechanism within COSBAN to organize our cooperation in this area. It is a partnership that makes sense for us, and that makes sense for the world.
Indeed, ours is a relationship whose importance transcends the bilateral domain. We have worked together to enhance the voice of developing countries in international institutions. We have joined forces on several occasions to promote sustainable development, social inclusion and global peace.
We will continue to do so, for the next 50 years and beyond. The achievements of the past are only matched by the potential of what we can accomplish next. Just like before, it will be a collective construction. Let us carry on our common work.
Marcos Galvão is the ambassador of Brazil to China.
