The Chinese presence in Brazil

• Thesis title in Czech: Čínská přítomnost v Brazílii
• Thesis title in English: The Chinese presence in Brazil
• Academic year of topic announcement: 2021/2022
• Thesis type: diploma thesis
• Thesis language: angličtina
• Department: Department of Security Studies (23-KBS)
• Supervisor: Mgr. Kateřina Březinová, Ph.D.
• Author: hidden - assigned by the advisor
• Date of registration: 21.07.2022
• Date of assignment: 21.07.2022
• Date and time of defence: 20.09.2023 07:00
• Venue of defence: Jinonice - U Kříže 8, Praha 5
• Date of electronic submission: 31.07.2023
• Date of proceeded defence: 20.09.2023
• Opponents: Mgr. Luka Nikolić

References

Bibliography
. Abdennour, Santoro, Folly (2021). What Railways Deals Taught Chinese and Brazilian in
Amazon. Carnegie endowment for International Peace.
https://carnegieendowment.org/files/202108-Abdenur%20et.%20al_China%20Brazil.pdf

. Burton,G (2018).What President Bolsonaro Means for China-Brazil Relations. Academia
online. What President Bolsonaro Means foChina-BrazilRelationshttps://www.academia.edu
› What_President_Bolsonaro...

. Fearnside, Figueiredo (2015). China’s Influence on Deforestation in Brazilian Amazonia: A
Growing Force in the State of Mato Grosso. Global economic Governance Initiative.
https://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/files/2014/12/Brazil1.pdf

. Gallagher K, Garzón P, Grimm D, Myers M, Ray R, Reid J, Rosenthal A, Zhu L. (2019).
China and the Amazon: Towards a framework for Maximising benefits and mitigating risks
of infrastructure development. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
https://www.thedialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/China-and-the-Amazon.pdf

. International Trade Administration. (2021). Energy Resource Guide.
https://www.trade.gov/energy-resource-guide-brazil-oil-and-gas

. Jenkins; Dussel Peters (2009). China and Latin America economic relations in the twenty-
first century. German Development Institute & Centre for Chinese Mexican Studies.

https://dusselpeters.com/42.pdf

. Milani & Nazar Chaves (2021). How and why European and Chinese pro-climate leadership
may be challenged by their strategic economic interests in Brazil. Asia Europe Journal.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10308-021-00645-z
Muggah, Abdenur (2017). China’s Strategic Play in Brazil. Instituto Igarapé.
https://igarape.org.br/chinas-strategic-play-in-brazil/

. Roy, D (2022). China’s growing influence in Latin America. Council on foreign relations.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-influence-latin-america-argentina-brazil-venezuela-
security-energy-br

. Trinkunas, H (2020). Testing the limits of China and Brazil’s partnership.Brookings.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/testing-the-limits-of-china-and-brazils-partnership/

Preliminary scope of work in English

Introduction
This study has the aim to analyse the influence of the People's Republic of China in the
state of Brazil, due to the various construction projects and foreign direct investments that
different Chinese companies have allocated in Latin American countries during the last decades
(Jenkins; Dussel Peters 2009). Since 2010 the Chinese government has grown by 31% its
investments in the LAC region (Roy, 2022), and nowadays China represents the biggest trading
partner for all the Latin American countries by displacing Europe as the second trade partner
of Latin America behind the United States. China, indeed, is one of the first political and
economic partners of Brazil (Burton, 2018) and their close relationship was formalised thanks
to the BRICS agreement signed in 2009 (Trinkunas, 2020).
Therefore, this research will analyse the Chinese-Brazilian relationship starting from 2010 until
these recent years, by bearing in mind the most important historical events which have marked
the cooperation between the two countries.
This study will also focus on different geographic areas of Brazil, in which the biggest Chinese
multinationals have decided to invest and create new projects. Particularly, it will be analysed
the Chinese infrastructure programs in the Amazon Forest (Fearnside, Figuareido, 2015), and
in the various Brazilian states on the Atlantic coast, such as in Pará and Cearà, where the
Chinese construction industries have contributed to develop two of the biggest and most
strategic seaports in the country from which most of the Brazilian commodities leave the
Atlantic coasts to reach the mainland.
However, considering the impact that these projects are having and might create on the
surrounding environment, and at international level, few analysts have focused on
understanding the future effects of the Chinese infrastructure investments, by portraying a
general framework of Beijing’s strategy in Brazil (Muggah, Abdenur, 2017) and the possible
repercussions of their presence in the country. However, some research, such the one made by
Gallagher, Garzón, Grimm, Myers, Ray, Reid & Zhu (2019) focused on evaluating the risks and
the benefits of China’s influence in some areas of Brazil, particularly related to the Amazon
region. Moreover, another study conducted by Abdennour, Folly and Santoro (2021) showed
more specifically how one of the most important Chinese infrastructure projects in the Amazon
will affect the surrounding environment and some of the indigenous communities of the forest.
However, all the studies conducted so far are focused on specific Chinese constructions in the
country, without providing any comparative analysis between the different projects developed
in several areas of Brazil.
Therefore, this research will have the objective to conduct research which will identify and
compare the most relevant Chinese construction projects built and planned so far in the
different states of Brazil, such as Pará, Cearà and Amazonia, to understand how these latter
will help China to increase its economic and political power at international level. Furthermore,
it will be analysed how other international actors such as the US and the European Union are
trying to counterbalance the “Chinese expansion” in Brazil and in other Latin American
countries, by focusing on their counter foreign policies and their FDI allocated so far in the
region. Therefore, it will be interesting to evaluate the three superpowers: China, the US, and
the EU by using a data triangulation approach, which will be effective to compare the different
political and economic strategies used by the three actors to pursue their own interest inside the
region (Milani & Nazar Chaves, 2021)
To conclude, the main topic of this research will mainly focus on the Chinese influence in
Brazil, particularly related to Beijing FDI, related to the field of infrastructure in different
geographic areas of Brazil. This analysis will be fundamental to evaluate the most relevant
effects that China will have not only on the Brazilian territories and local communities but also
at the international level. Therefore, the second part of the study will concentrate on evaluating
the US and the European strategy to counterbalance the Chinese presence in the region by
comparing their different foreign policies and programs launched since 2010.

Thesis structure

This research will start to introduce the Chinese presence in the country, by describing
the main projects and investments made by China in the last twenty years. Particularly,
the focus will be on the infrastructures projects that have been built in the last decades
in the Amazon region of Brazil and on its coastal states such as Parà and Cearà.
Therefore, the second part of the thesis will focus on two specific projects built and
implemented by the biggest construction companies of Beijing in the Amazon forest
and in the state of Cearà, to critically evaluate the positive and negative impacts that
these latter are having on the surrounding territories and local communities. This
analysis will be important to understand the benefits that the Brazilian and Chinese
governments have thanks to these long-lasting economic relationships. The last part of
this study evaluates how the Chinese economic expansion in Brazil will affect the
various dynamics of the international system. Notably, it will be analysed how the
foreign policies adopted by the European Union and the US in the country to
counterbalance the expansion of Beijing. The study will also illustrate some of the most
important investments made by some European companies for the export of natural
resources, and a critical evaluation of the territorial impacts of the projects.
To conclude, the research will make a comparative analysis between the Chinese and
Western countries presence in the region, by depicting the possible future political
scenario in the region.