During a recent interview with People’s Daily Online, Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), remarked that the foundation of friendship between China and Brazil has grown stronger over the past 50 years of diplomatic relations. The bilateral relationship has become more significant, and the prospects for cooperation are more promising. “The pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in areas such as trade, finance, agriculture, science and technology, and aerospace will surely bring more tangible benefits to both nations and their peoples.”
Abundant Achievements in Pragmatic Cooperation
From 2018 to 2022, Yang Wanming served as China’s Ambassador to Brazil, witnessing many significant moments in the development of bilateral relations. Reflecting on the past five decades, he noted several key milestones: in 1993, Brazil became the first developing country to establish a strategic partnership with China. In 2012, it became the first major Latin American nation to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. In April 2023, Brazil President Lula da Silva paid a state visit to China, during which he held talks with President Xi Jinping. The two sides issued a joint statement on deepening comprehensive strategic partnership, advancing bilateral relations to a new level.
Since 2009, China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, while Brazil remains China’s largest destination for direct investment in Latin America. According to Chinese customs data, bilateral trade between China and Brazil reached USD 181.53 billion in 2023, marking the sixth consecutive year that trade exceeded USD 100 billion.
Yang stated that over the past 50 years, China and Brazil have achieved fruitful results in cooperation across sectors such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure, aerospace, and technological innovation. Economic and trade cooperation, in particular, has laid a solid material foundation for the stable development of bilateral relations.
Promising Prospects for Joint Progress
This November, the G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Recently, President Lula da Silva expressed his intention to hold bilateral talks with China following the summit to explore the establishment of a “l(fā)ong-term strategic partnership”.
As the largest developing countries and significant emerging markets in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, respectively, China and Brazil play critical roles in promoting a more just and equitable new international order. Yang emphasized that the two countries closely cooperate within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, BRICS, and the G20, not only advancing their own development but also robustly safeguarding the common interests of the broader developing world.
Recently, the 20th CPC Central Committee’s Third Plenary Session was successfully held. It focused on comprehensively deepening reform with the goal of advancing Chinese modernization and outlined strategic arrangements to further enhance a higher level of opening-up. “This will bring new opportunities for China and Brazil to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve common development,” said Yang.
Yang noted that the Brazilian government is actively advancing its “reindustrialization” strategy, promoting technological innovation, and accelerating the transition to a green, low-carbon economy. This aligns closely with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has made significant technological advances in emerging fields such as photovoltaics, energy storage, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, and the digital economy. “In the future, both sides will further synergize the BRI with Brazil’s reindustrialization strategy through cooperation,” Yang stated.
He emphasized that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Brazil, an important milestone symbolizing continuity and progress. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, political mutual trust will continue to deepen, and the prospects for cooperation will grow even broader.
Deepening People-to-People Exchanges
During his three-year tenure as China’s Ambassador to Brazil, Yang was deeply impressed by the local people’s open and kind nature, the diversity and inclusiveness of the culture, and the vast and captivating landscapes. “If I were to summarize Brazil’s characteristics in a few words, I would say vast land and resources, cultural diversity, and youthful vitality,” Yang shared. He highlighted Brazil’s rich resources, including land, minerals, forests, fresh water, and tourism, as well as its history of multi-ethnic integration, which has cultivated a rich and inclusive culture. The whole society radiates vitality, showcasing Brazil’s significant development potential.
He pointed out that cultural exchanges between China and Brazil contribute to enriching the lives of their peoples and foster mutual understanding, thus providing a solid foundation of public support for the stable development of friendly relations between the two countries.
Yang introduced that in the future, CPAFFC plans to design more “small yet impactful” projects for people-to-people exchanges between China and Brazil. This includes strengthening exchanges between youths, think tanks, media, cultural, and sports sectors, as well as establishing more high-quality sister city relationships. Efforts will be made to expand existing sister city cooperation to communities, schools, and hospitals, increasing public awareness, participation, and a sense of benefit from these partnerships, thus continuously injecting new vitality into the sustained and healthy development of bilateral relations.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Yang stated, “We cherish those old friends who laid the groundwork for China-Brazil relations, and we look forward to welcoming more diverse new friends to the cause of people-to-people friendship between China and Brazil. We hope that these exchanges will be warmer and deeper, bringing the two nations closer together.”
