[China and Brazil]
The comprehensive strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Federative Republic of Brazil continued to grow in 2013.
The two countries had close exchanges at high levels and in various fields. In March and September, President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff held bilateral meetings during the Fifth BRICS Leaders Meeting and the St. Petersburg G20 Summit. In a telephone conversation in June, they had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of common interest and reached important agreement. In November, Brazilian Deputy President Michel Temer paid an official visit to China. He had a meeting with President Xi Jinping, and held talks with Vice President Li Yuanchao, and co-chaired with Vice Premier Wang Yang the third meeting of the China-Brazil High Level Coordination and Cooperation Commission in Guangzhou. Deputy President Temer attended the opening ceremony of the 10th anniversary of the Forum on Trade and Economic Cooperation Between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and its fourth Ministerial Conference in Macao.
Guo Jinlong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Wang Qinmin, Vice CPPCC Chairman, paid separate visits to Brazil. State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with acting Minister of the Strategic Affairs of the Presidency Marcelo Neri and Foreign Minister Luiz Figueiredo Machado respectively on multilateral occasions. Officials visiting China included Gleisi Hoffmann, First Cabinet Member of the Federative Government and Chief of the Civil House of the Presidency, Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Fernando Pimentel, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Marco Raupp, Minister of Culture Marta Suplicy, Minister of Communications Paulo Bernado da Silva and ósmar Júnior, head of the Brazil-China Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Chamber of Deputies. Meetings were held by subcommittees under the China-Brazil High-level Coordination and Cooperation Committee, including the Political Subcommittee, Science, Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, Economic and Financial Subcommittee, Subcommittee on Energy and Mining, Subcommittee on Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and Economic and Trade Subcommittee.
The two countries maintained good communication and coordination in international organizations and multilateral mechanisms including the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the G20, BRICS and the BASIC countries.
China-Brazil practical cooperation was enhanced. Two-way trade kept growing. China remained Brazil's largest trading partner, largest export market and largest source of import. Progress was made in financial and energy cooperation. The two countries signed the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Finance of the Federative Republic of Brazil on Bilateral Cooperation in Macroeconomic, Fiscal and Financial Policies. The two central banks signed an RMB190 billion / Real60 billion bilateral local currency swap agreement. China Development Bank established a representative office in Rio de Janeiro. An energy consortium composed of energy companies from China, Brazil and other countries won the bidding of the Libra pre-salt oil development project.
The two sides had dynamic cultural and people-to-people exchanges. In September and October, Brazil and China held the "Cultural Month" activities in each other's country. China received 272 Brazilian students through China-Brazil Science Without Borders Scholarship Program, and opened two new Confucius Institutes and one Confucius Classroom in Brazil. The Latin American edition of China Daily was launched in Brazil.
The two sides had close military-to-military exchanges and cooperation. Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong, Vice PLA Chief of the General Staff, visited Brazil, and Admiral Carlos Augusto de Sousa, Chief of Strategic Affairs of Joint Staff of Armed Forces, visited China. The Chinese naval fleet visited Brazil and held a joint military exercise with the Brazilian navy.
Editor:Yaling
