Macau | Brazil reinforcing co-operation with Forum Macao to increase China trade and investment volume

Macau (MNA) – A visit by a Brazilian trade and services delegation to Mainland China and Macau has focused on promoting more qualified human resources prospecting, and increasing the range of Brazil-China trade and investment volume through Macau, the Vice-Minister of the Brazilian Secretariat of Trade and Services, Douglas Finardi Ferreira, said this Friday.

Mr. Finardi made the comments following a seminar on services trade between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, organised by the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macao).

According to the Brazil Government representative, the country’s authorities want to reinforce commercial ties with China through Forum Macao, with the visit to the territory being the second phase of a Brazilian delegation that attended the 2018 Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) that had Brazil as its ‘guest of honour’.

“China is already the largest trading partner with Brazil and this works towards reinforcing bilateral relations in order to also bring the service sector as a platform for commerce exchange with China,” said Mr. Finardi.

In the first two months of 2018 the level of trade between Brazil and China reached US$7.25 billion, almost the same amount as the same period of last year but representing more than 70 per cent of all Sino-Luso trade.

“We had a delegation of more than 90 people at CIFTS, focused in three points promotion of service export, and attracting investment for tourism and cultural exchange […] The second part of our mission with Forum Macao is part of the Secretariat’s intention to reinforce commercial relations and of using Macau due to language and culture as an integration platform between Brazil and China,” he added.

Despite the visit’s main focus being on the service sector, Mr. Finardi said diversifying the range of products and investment between the two countries and increasing the number of Chinese tourists to Brazil was also some of the main goals.

“China is the largest source of tourists in the world and Brazil still doesn’t have a large volume of Chinese tourists; this integration and greater knowledge and information exchange strengthens the strategy to improve the trade flux between the two countries,” he added.

The Secretary-General of Forum Macao, Xu Yingzhen, also said during the seminar that Brazil is “getting closer” to Forum Macao, having sent a delegate to join activities in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Gansu.

“We have a Brazil Vice-Minister and the Consul-General in this seminar[…] When the Forum went to CIFTIS there was also the active presence of the Brazilian Ambassador in Beijing. There’s a clear interest and they’re closely following Forum activities, having also been present at Forum Macao’sMinisterial Conferences,” added Ms. Xu.