News Brief
Brazil Says No To China’s 'Accession Contract', Becomes Second BRICS Nation After India To Reject Belt And Road Initiative
Brazil’s former president (2003-2011) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who called the then newfound oil a “winning ticket” for Brazilians (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
In a significant blow to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Brazil has opted against joining Beijing’s extensive multi-billion dollar infrastructure project, making it the second BRICS nation after India to withhold support for the ambitious scheme.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration, represented by Celso Amorim, special presidential advisor for international affairs, announced on Monday (28 October) that Brazil will not join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and instead seek alternative ways to collaborate with Chinese investors.
Brazil wants to “take the relationship with China to a new level, without having to sign an accession contract”, Amorim told the Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
“We are not entering into a treaty,” Amorim said, explaining that Brazil does not want to take Chinese infrastructure and trade projects as “an insurance policy”.
The Chinese “call it the belt [and road] … and they can give whatever names they want, but what matters is that there are projects that Brazil has defined as a priority and that may or may not be accepted [by Beijing]”, Amorim added.
Officials from Brazil’s economic and foreign affairs ministries have also expressed skepticism, citing concerns that the BRI would offer minimal immediate benefits for Brazil and could complicate relations with a potential Trump-led U.S. administration.
Amid these deliberations, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai recently urged Brazil to view the proposal to join BRI through an “objective lens” and “risk management”.
In response, the Chinese embassy in Brasilia labeled her remarks “irresponsible” and “disrespectful”, asserting that Brazil does not require external guidance on its partnerships.
“Brazil does not need others to dictate who to cooperate with or what kind of partnerships to conduct, and the normal economic and trade cooperation between China and Latin American countries should not be subject to scrutiny from third countries,” wrote The Global Times on Monday.
China subsequently faced criticism over BRI-related projects particularly regarding allegations of “debt traps” in smaller nations like Sri Lanka, where a 99-year lease of Hambantota port as part of a debt restructuring has sparked broader concerns of financial vulnerability among BRI participants.
