Backgrounder: China, Brazil strengthen relations

China's top legislator, Wu Bangguo, will arrive in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on Tuesday for an official and goodwill six-day visit aimed at strengthening the strategic relations between the two countries.

Exchanges of high-level visits have been frequent since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries in 1974, which have contributed to enhancing mutual understanding and promoting bilateral cooperation.

In 2004, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva exchanged official visits, and committed themselves to bringing the countries' friendship and cooperation to a higher level of development.

Brazil's Vice President Jose Alencar paid an official visit to China in March 2006. Alencar jointly with Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi presided over the first meeting of the Chinese-Brazilian High-Level Coordination and Cooperation Commission.

China and Brazil have also been working closely at international forums, making similar or identical decisions in favor of developing countries' interests, as well as supporting each other at international organizations.

The Brazilian government has reiterated its adherence to the one-China policy, and that it will not have official relations with Taiwan. On the question of Tibet, Brazil said it does not recognize Dalai Lama as a political representative.

Trade and economic relations between the two countries were intensified in 2001, when China became Brazil's leading trading partner in Asia, and Brazil became China's leading trading partner in Latin America.

Since then, China has kept its position as the third largest market for Brazilian exports, following the United States and Argentina.

According to Chinese statistics, trade between the two countries amounted to 14.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2005, up 20 percent from 2004.

The statistics also showed that in the first half of 2006, bilateral trade increased by an average of 51.2 percent over the same period last year, totaling 9.22 billion U.S. dollars.

Economic cooperation between Brazil and China has been increasing quickly since 1984. By the end of 2005, 77 Chinese companies had settled in Brazil, and most of them were trade companies.

By the end of 2004, Chinese investment in Brazil had reached a total of 134 million dollars, mainly in mineral exploitation, wood processing and household-electric products packing.

Brazil has 348 investment projects in China, totaling 120 million dollars. The main projects are related to the production of regional airplanes, air-conditioning compressors and car parts.

Since Brazil and China signed the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement in 1982, the exchange and bilateral cooperation on scientific projects have been expanding constantly.

The two also signed agreements on agriculture and cattle-breeding, fish-breeding, forestry, hydroelectric power, aeronautics and space, computer science, medicines and health, advanced new materials, biological engineering and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The first Chinese-Brazilian Terrestrial Resources Satellite, developed and produced by the two countries, was successfully launched in 1999, followed by the launch of the second one in 2003.

Scientists from both countries are currently developing the third and fourth satellites, which will be more modern than the previous ones.

Bilateral exchanges and cooperation in culture and education also have been increasing, with frequent exchanges of visits by cultural groups of the two countries.

In 2001, China and Brazil organized art festivals in each other's countries. The two also have signed a Memorandum of Exchange and Cooperation in Education.

Source: Xinhua