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Interview: Brazil hopes to boost economic cooperation with China: leading expert

Xinhua, May 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Brazil is expecting more investments in infrastructure, agriculture and the service sector as a result of the visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to the country next week, said a leading Brazilian expert.

Bilateral cooperation in infrastructure is especially expected to expand as a result of Li's visit, as he will head a high-profile delegation related to the area and Brazilian businessmen in this field are also keen to cooperate with China, Julia Dias Leite, executive secretary of the Brazil-China Business Council (CEBC), told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Brazil also hopes to resume exports of meat products to China after a ban was imposed on Brazilian meats in 2012 due to a case of mad cow disease. Now local producers are eager to return to the Chinese market, where there is great potential for Brazil, a large meat exporter, to tap, Leite said.

Brazilians are very interested in expanding connections with the Chinese people, as evidenced by the large number of businessmen who signed up for the business summit on the occasion of Premier Li's visit, including 150 from Brazil's finest companies, she said.

Meanwhile, an exhibition of Chinese machinery and other products will be held in Rio De Janeiro during the visit to increase the awareness of Chinese brands among the Brazilian public.

Besides economic cooperation, the two countries' leaders will also address political and cultural exchanges. Several agreements are expected to be signed, and the Joint Program of Action for 2010-2015 is to be renewed for the period of 2015-2021, Leite said, calling the CEBC a main Brazilian organ in charge of business coordination with China.

In addition to boosting cooperation in strategic sectors, Brazil is also interested in diversifying its exports to China, which are currently too concentrated in commodities like ore, oil and soybeans. Brazil intends to sell more high value-added products to China, she stressed.

"There is an aspect that we have not been able to advance, and that is very important for the maturity of trade relations -- diversification of exports, by which we will not remain too dependent on commodities," Leite said.

Li's trip will be a second visit by a top Chinese leader to Brazil in less than a year.

"This visit demonstrates and strengthens the importance China attaches to its relationship with Brazil. In less than a year, two important Chinese leaders came or will come to Brazil -- President Xi Jinping in July (2014) and Premier Li now. We will also have a meeting of the Brazil-China High-Level Coordination and Cooperation Commission (COSBAN) in Brazil this year. I think this is a sign that both countries attach a lot of importance to their relations," Leite said.

In addition, she said, the fact that Brazil is not the only country Premier Li will visit this time shows Latin America's growing importance to China. Besides Brazil, Li will also visit Colombia, Peru and Chile this time. Endi