Brazil's involvement in the 'New Silk Road' can contribute to regional integration
Brazil's alignment with China's Belt and Road Initiative could strengthen Latin American integration, boost infrastructure, and contribute to a multipolar global order, deepening Brazil-China relation
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signaling Brazil's possible accession to the "New Silk Road", the popularly known Chinese infrastructure mega-project Belt and Road Initiative can contribute to regional integration in Latin America. That is professor and researcher Evandro Carvalho's evaluation.
"This bilateral partnership may have positive effects, at least on the Latin American regional context, in strengthening heavy infrastructure: ports, airports, roads, and railways, as well as light infrastructure, such as telecommunications and the "internet", he said in an interview to Central do Brasil this Thursday (15).
"The Chinese wish to discuss the Silk Road with us, we will discuss the Silk Road", reaffirmed President Lula this Wednesday (14), in a speech given at the National Industry Confederation (CNI) headquarters.
Multipolarity
The ties between Brazil-China are increasingly important to the construction of a multipolar order, as well as a more just and effective global governance, said this Thursday (15), president Lula on a message sent to Xi Jinping, on the occasion of the countries' 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this Thursday.
Lula also declared that since the beginning of Brazil-China relations in 1974, cooperation has become more and more diverse. "When promoting development and the revitalization of its respective nations, China and Brazil also play significant roles contributing to peace, stability, and world prosperity", said Xi Jinping in a message sent to the Brazilian leader.
Carvalho points out that Brazil-China relations surpass its' commercial dimension and reach a bigger dimension in international relations and cites the fundamental roles that both countries played in founding the BRICs, the New Development Bank, and the G20.
"Both countries are fully in sync on the diplomatic field defending the consolidation of international organizations, quite shaken in the 21st century, especially because they ceased to be international organizations capable of attaining their goals, they are attacked notably by countries like the United States. Brazil and China are actors with a very important partnership not only for each other's economy but also for the international order." 1
Translation by João Gabriel M. Pinheiro from Brazil de Fato