Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva visited China in the second week of May for a new round of diplomatic and economic talks. Both countries maintain a good relationship and share similarities that help each understand the other’s major issues. The visit follows Lula’s diplomatic trend of broad dialogue, diverse partnerships and cooperation agreements, a pattern called Presidential Diplomacy that has been a trademark of Lula since his first term as president, in 2003. 

The farming sector is the most important economic sector in Brazil, with China as the country’s biggest commercial partner since 2009, being the destination for 28 percent of all exports in 2024, followed by the U.S. and Argentina. China is also the main source of imported goods in Brazil,  which largely remains industrially underdeveloped   

The decision to channel investments and efforts into the farming sector has lead to steady growth, but has left the other sectors behind, leading to delays in the process of national industrialization. Throughout Brazil’s history, its population has been impoverished by colonization and subsequent slavery, and while the economy has grown, the distribution of wealth has been unequal. The first stages of industrialization began during this period, with operators of sugar cane plantations requiring idustrial means to process the cane into sugar. These developments went on to aid the development of other areas linked to the agricultural sector.  

It was only during the 1950’s that the country initiated a program for the promotion of national industry, merging national and international investments. The program also brought about social and economic development and better living conditions. However, to please the American oil industry, Brazil put aside the construction of railways in order to maintain highways as the main form of transportation, leading to an underdevelopment of infrastructure throughout the whole country.    

During his visit this month, President Lula discussed a partnership for the construction of the Bi-Oceanic Corridor in Brazil, also known as the Central Bi-Oceanic Railway, linking it through neighboring countries to the Pacific Ocean, across which Brazilian goods can reach China directly. The development of transport infrastructure is vitally important for the agriculture sector and other economic sectors, giving a boost to Brazil’s industrialization process. 

Lula’s policy follows a trend in Brazilian diplomacy to maintain multiple partners and open dialogue, trying to cooperate with one country without averting other partners. China represents the ideal partnership for the current stage of Brazil’s development, as both countries share similarities in their struggles and successes in improving life quality and the economy as a whole. 

Gabriele Hernandez is with Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil; Gao Zhiren is with Southwest University of Science and Technology, China 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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