Open questions | Brazil’s vice-president on 50 years of China ties and boosting trade amid fairness rows

Geraldo Alckmin also discusses the decision to impose tariffs on Chinese steel and Beijing’s help after his country’s worst climate disaster

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Published: 6:00am, 29 Jul 2024Updated: 10:40am, 29 Jul 2024

Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin coordinates the Sino-Brazilian High-Level Commission for Consultation and Cooperation (Cosban) – the largest and most important dialogue mechanism between the two countries – and heads the ministry of development, industry and foreign trade.

In this latest interview in the Open Questions series, Alckmin details the outcomes of a recent trip to Beijing, expectations on the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s coming visit to Brazil. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here.

This year Brazil and China are celebrating 50 years of bilateral ties. It is happening at a geopolitical moment marked by strong polarisation, which some analysts call a ‘new cold war’ between Beijing and Washington. Do you agree with this term?

Brazil is a large country, one of the most populous and extensive in the world, with a complex and significant economy, the eighth largest in the world. These characteristics have led us to develop a universalist and pragmatic foreign-policy tradition throughout our history. We maintain relations with all countries and are used to building bridges between North and South, East and West, industrialised and developing countries.

We have a broad and deep relationship with both China and the United States. In the year in which Brazil and China are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties, we are also celebrating 200 years of ties with the United States.

Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin arrives for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 7. Photo: AFP

I believe that the term ‘new cold war’ could give the impression of a rift that, from the Brazilian perspective, we want to avoid solidifying. Although there are dissonant positions between the major global powers, we cannot deny the reality of an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world that requires solutions through multilateral agreements. There are also important points of convergence between China and the US, such as the fight against climate change. Therefore, we must work for peace and common development.

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Open Questions – SCMP interviews with global opinion leaders

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