Chinese President Xi Jinping recently responded to letters from friendly figures from various walks of life in Brazil, encouraging them to further contribute to the friendship between China and Brazil.
In response, Xi said he was happy that the friendship between China and Brazil had been passed down from generation to generation. He stressed that over the past 50 years, since diplomatic relations were established, China and Brazil have walked forward together, sharing joys and difficulties, and forging a friendship that has crossed mountains and oceans.
China is willing to work with Brazil to enrich the friendship between the two countries in the new era, make China-Brazil relations an example of solidarity, coordination, common development and mutual benefit among major developing countries, and contribute to the peace and progress of mankind, Xi said.
The President also expressed the wish that friends from Brazil are welcome to visit China more often and see for themselves the incredible progress of China's modernization.
Xi expressed his hope that people from different walks of life in the two countries will make positive contributions to the further development of China-Brazil relations, and that the friendship between China and Brazil will flow uninterrupted like the Yangtze and Amazon rivers.
Recently, Enrique Teixeira, former vice-mayor of Campinas in Sao Paulo state, and more than 100 friendly figures from the Brazilian China Friendship Association, Sao Paulo University, Sao Paulo State University and the Copacabana Fort Orchestra in Rio de Janeiro wrote a letter to Xi thanking the Chinese government, businesses and universities for their contributions to friendly exchanges between China and Brazil and improving the living conditions of local residents.
The year 2024 is special because it is the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. Over these 50 years, the two countries have deepened and diversified cooperation in trade, climate change, education, culture and technological innovation, building strong political mutual trust that has benefited both nations.
Since 2009, China has been Brazil's largest trading partner and key investor, while Brazil is the first Latin American country to export over $100 billion worth of goods to China, making it the largest trading partner of China in the region.
According to Zhu Qingqiao, the Chinese ambassador to Brazil, Chinese investment in Brazil exceeds $70 billion and covers areas such as energy, agriculture, infrastructure and technology. Now that China is implementing comprehensive reforms to support China's modernization and the Brazilian government has also unveiled a series of national development strategies, the two countries are accelerating the alignment of their development strategies to expand traditional cooperation and explore new areas such as energy transformation, digital economy, biotechnology and space technology.
Last month, the China-Brazil Marine Science and Technology Innovation Forum was held in Beijing. The forum brought together leading experts and scientists from both countries in the field of energy to explore new technologies and practical experience in marine science, with the aim of deepening bilateral exchanges and cooperation in this field and accelerating innovation.
The cultivation of cultural exchanges between China and Brazil is also gaining momentum. For example, the city of Recife in Brazil has declared 2024 the "Year of China", while Beijing has invited Brazil as a guest to the Beijing International Film Festival and hosted the Brazilian Film Week.
In addition, on 19 February this year, China and Brazil began issuing 10-year re-entry visas to citizens of both countries for business, tourist and family visits with a maximum stay of 90 days per visit, which is expected to significantly increase the number of Chinese visitors to Brazil.
"Cultural exchanges create a solid foundation for public goodwill in bilateral relations between China and Brazil," said Cao Ting, deputy director of the Research Office for Latin American Studies at Fudan University.
He analyzed that the strong growth in cultural exchanges between the two nations is fueled by enhanced high-level political mutual trust, a strong desire by both nations to increase communication, and the convenience provided by fast international flights and improved digital connectivity.
CMG
