Chinese enterprises contribute to boosting ties with Brazil

With rapid development of economic and trade exchanges between China and Brazil, many Chinese enterprises have invested in the South American country and have thus become an important driving force for bilateral relations.

Chinese enterprises have not only created many jobs for Brazilians, but also provided the country with plenty of high-quality products and services.

Taking the ongoing World Cup as an example, although the Chinese soccer team is again absent from the quadrennial sporting event, Chinese products, from mascot Fuleco to official instrument the caxirola and hybrid buses, stand out.

In fact, Chinese products at the World Cup are but an epitome of the rapid growth of trade between China and Brazil in recent years.

The two countries have witnessed increasing, steady development in economic and trade cooperation since they established diplomatic ties four decades ago, with two-way trade exceeding 90 billion U.S. dollars last year from 17.4 million dollars in 1974.

Brazil has become the largest trade partner to China both in Latin America and within BRICS nations, while China has emerged the largest trade partner to Brazil.

More and more Chinese enterprises have been investing in Brazil since 2011, with the fields of their investment there becoming increasingly diversified. By the end of 2013, Chinese investment in Brazil had reached 17.64 billion dollars and nearly 100 Chinese-funded enterprises have been set up in the country.

Before 2005, Chinese enterprises mainly participated in such projects as coal-fired power plants, iron and steel plants, and natural gas. Since 2010, they have begun to operate in the mineral and energy fields.

China's stated-owned oil giants CNOOC and CNPC won a bid to explore a deep-sea oilfield in Brazil with three foreign companies last year, while conglomerate Sinochem Group acquired a large share of equity from another Brazilian oilfield.

China's tech giant Huawei, which entered the Brazilian market some 10 years ago, is also expanding business operation in the country. The company has not only hired more than 4,000 local employees, but has also helped Brazil train thousands of people.

Huawei's sales in Brazil reached 1.5 billion dollars last year, accounting for 40 percent of the country's communication market.

Meanwhile, engineering machinery and equipment manufactured by China have rolled into construction sites across Brazil. According to Chinese customs statistics, China exported more than 140 million dollars worth of truck cranes to Brazil in 2013, accounting for 85 percent of the local market.

As for auto manufacturing, a dozen of Chinese self-developed brands have entered the Brazilian market. An assembly plant built by China's Chery Automobile Company in Brazil will go into production in November, while new energy buses made by other Chinese automakers have been exported to the country.

Moreover, national carrier Air China as well as freight forwarders Sinotrans and China Shipping Company have all established representative offices or branches in Brazil. An air route linking Beijing, Madrid and Sao Paulo, operated by Air China, is the only direct connection between China and Latin America.

Chinese enterprises' development in Brazil has also stimulated China's banking industry, with some large banks starting business operations in the country one after another.

Luciano Santos Tavares de Almeida, president of Investe Sao Paulo, said Chinese enterprises have made enormous contributions to the economic development of Sao Paulo and the country at large.

He voiced the belief that more Chinese enterprises would come to Brazil in the future, saying bilateral relations would continue to make headway thanks to their presence in his country.