China and Brazil are about 18,800 km from each other. far away, and they are the two largest developing countries in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. As Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva begins his visit to China on 12 April. In such a situation, two emerging powers separated by oceans will join hands again. President Lula is an old friend of China. During his first term as President (2003–2010), he made two state visits to China. During his tenure, there was a great development of China-Brazil relations. China became Brazil’s largest trading partner in 2009 and has held this position for 14 consecutive years. Brazil is the first Latin American country whose trade with China has reached more than US$1 trillion.
In January this year, 77-year-old Lula became the President of Brazil. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated them and stressed that China and Brazil are major developing countries and important emerging market countries with global influence. They are each other’s comprehensive strategic partners with broad common interests and common development responsibilities. The economic issue is a major focus of Lula’s campaign. Brazil is currently facing the important task of post-pandemic economic recovery. While China is promoting high-quality development and a high degree of opening-up, and will provide win-win opportunities for all countries in the world, including Brazil.
Under the encouragement of high-level officials of the two countries, bilateral cooperation between China and Brazil is deepening day by day, and the distance between the two peoples is also narrowing. Besides football, samba and barbecue, today’s Chinese people, especially young people, know more about Brazil. At the same time, Brazilians’ understanding of China is not limited to the Great Wall and kung fu. For example, Chinese medicine is very popular in Brazil. Currently, there are over 100,000 official Chinese medicine and acupuncture practitioners in Brazil. “Made in China” is benefiting more and more Brazilians.
It is worth mentioning that scientific and technological cooperation is another important support for China-Brazil cooperation. This collaboration began in the 1980s. Under this, many scientific research achievements have been achieved, such as the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite, Nanotechnology Research and Innovation Center, Climate and Energy Center. Among them, the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite Project has been called a “model of South-South cooperation”, which has done a great job in breaking the technology monopoly of developed countries. Facing the complex and ever-changing international situation, China and Brazil, as developing countries, oppose hegemony and power politics and support genuine multilateralism. Both have maintained close cooperation and strengthened the voices of developing countries in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G-20 and the BRICS. Before leaving for China, Brazilian President Lula da Silva repeatedly referred to China’s role in the Ukraine crisis and the word “peace”. He stressed that someone has to start talking about peace because America and Europe are not talking about peace.
The “old friends of the Chinese people” have arrived! The outside world is paying close attention to Lula’s visit to China, because as the two largest developing countries in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, the development of China-Brazil relations is beneficial not only to both sides, but also to the whole world. It can be said that under the guidance of the two heads of state, China-Brazil cooperative relations will further strengthen, and make new contributions to the stability and prosperity of the region and the world.
(Credits-China Media Group, Beijing)
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