Interview: Brazil taking practical steps to expand ties with China, says foreign minister

Expanding relations with China in all aspects is a priority for Brazil's foreign policy, said Brazil's Foreign Minister Jose Serra in an exclusive interview with Xinhua in the Itamaraty Palace.

"Brazil and China are strategic partners," he said. "In recent years, China has become our main commercial partner, a very important source of investments and financing, and an ally in forums such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the G20."

Brazil is set to create a China coordination unit within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed up by the former Brazilian ambassador to China, Roberto Jaguaribe, he said.

The unit will also include Brazil's exports promotion agency to seek to bring in Chinese capital to help counter the recession in areas such as infrastructure, roads, energy, ports and airports.

According to Serra, the BRICS Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, in which both countries have a presence, will help to make this happen.

"While the Brazilian economy has regressed, we have also seen lower demand in these sectors. This means there are guaranteed investment opportunities as the demand for infrastructure has remained constant," he said.

To facilitate this process, Brazil's new foreign policy will seek to remove trade barriers and increase access to Brazilian services and products for foreign investors.

"We want a unified strategy, where areas such as exports, agriculture, commerce, defense, and technical regulations, are all treated harmoniously. We also want to avoid that these important areas get bogged down in bureaucracy," Serra noted.

China's influence could also be seen in specific sectors, said the minister, citing cases of Brazil's meat exports to China.

"In May, China became the top importer of Brazilian beef worldwide. However, there is still much room to grow these sales," Serra said.

He also reaffirmed Brazil's commitment to the BRICS, saying Brazil will work to strengthen this mechanism.

"In my opening speech (as Foreign Minister), I made it clear that we will seize the opportunities offered by BRICS and other international mechanisms. We see a future where we will work together on clearly defined projects to bring about tangible results for our peoples."

The BRICS is the ideal stage to build initiatives to improve trade, investments and cooperation among Brazil, China and others.

"China is a crucial factor in the modern world. Brazil and China are two countries with a continental reach, common economic interests and similar visions on the importance of promoting peace and development," said Serra.

"We have a joint responsibility to build a more stable and balanced world." Endit