Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Brazil yesterday, part of a broader tour of South America that includes stops in Colombia, Peru, and Chile. Li’s visit represents a continuation of China’s efforts to expand relationship with Latin American countries, particularly on the trade front. Li will be in Brazil from May 18-20.
While this is Li’s first visit to South America, President Xi Jinping visited Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Cuba in July 2014 and made a trip to Latin America (visiting Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, and Mexico) in June 2013. Since Xi came to power, China has also started an new dialogue platform with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC); Xi presided over the inaugural ministerial meeting in Beijing this January.
When it comes to South America, Brazil is particularly important for China. It’s China’s largest trading partner in all of Latin America. China and Brazil also have regular political contacts at the multilateral level, thanks to their inclusion in the BRICS grouping. From Beijing’s perspective, that makes Brasilia an important partner in the quest to remake the international order to provide more representation and influence for developing countries. As a sign of that partnership, Brazil lent its support to China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), becoming the only country in the Americas to join as a founding member.
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