Last week, the National Secretary of Infrastructure, Credit and Investments of the Ministry of Tourism, Carlos Henrique, was part of the entourage of the Vice President of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, visiting China. Among the various guidelines discussed in the trip, the promotion of tourism between the two countries was one of the highlights of the meetings.
These countries have great tourist potential, since both have Wonders of the World. Tourists from all everywhere visit Brazil not only for its warm beaches and carnival parties, but also to get to know the Iguazú Falls – one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature since 2011 (destination shared between Argentina and Brazil), they also visit Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro- one of the New 7 Wonders of the World – and which is another of the most visited places in the country and also the Amazon River, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature (destination shared between Brazil, Colombia and Peru).
The same happens in China, where millions of tourists arrive attracted by its ancient culture and its historical richness, in addition to the Great Wall of China, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World since 2007- and a fantastic destination for tourists visiting the Asian country. In this context, both countries benefit from strengthening economic and tourist ties.
On the first day of the agenda, the Secretary participated in the “Brazil-China Economic Seminar: the next 50 years.” The event celebrated the five decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which began on August 15, 1974.
One of the most important aspects of the meeting was the consensus that the two countries are strategic partners, with the diplomatic relationship with Brazil being a priority for the Chinese. China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, which, in turn, has consolidated itself as the third country to receive the majority of Chinese investments in the world.
On the same day, Carlos Henrique attended an internal coordination meeting with the Brazilian delegation of the Chinese-Brazilian High-Level Cooperation and Concertation Commission (Cosban), held at the Brazilian Embassy in Beijing. At that time, the Secretary indicated the resumption at the end of April of the Air China flight traveling from Beijing to Sao Paulo, through Madrid, expanding air connectivity between the two countries. In addition, he emphasized that the Ministry of Tourism accredited, by 2024, 276 tourism agencies to work in the reception of groups of Chinese tourists traveling to Brazil.
The Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino, emphasized the importance of Mtur’s participation in this meeting. “The expansion of air connectivity between Brazil and China is one of the priorities of our management. It couldn’t be different with partners as important to Brazil as Chinese tourists,” he said.
The bilateral meeting on the second day of the mission to China (06.06), the National Secretary participated in the VII plenary session of Cosban, held at the Great People’s Palace, under the coordination of the Vice President of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin and the Vice President of China, Han Zheng. Cosban has several thematic subcommittees, including culture and tourism.
During the meeting, issues related to bilateral trade and the new future of China-Brazil relations were discussed. At that time, a report from the Subcommittee on Culture and Tourism was also presented, emphasizing the importance of promoting tourism cooperation between countries, as well as the need to strive to expand air connectivity between China and Brazil.
On the same day, Carlos Henrique also attended a meeting with China’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Zhang Zhen. In his speech, Zhen highlighted China’s admiration for Brazil for having the best tourist resources in the world. He also emphasized that, in 2019, the country that received the most Chinese tourists in Latin America was Brazil, as well as it sent most of the visitors from the Latin American continent to China in the same year.
Investments
On the third day of the mission to China, Carlos Henrique Sobral joined the entourage of Brazil’s vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, along with several state ministers, in the meeting with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Among the ministers present were the holders of the folders of agriculture, the civil house, development and social assistance; and entrepreneurship, microenterprise and small businesses.
AIIB, which has as one of its main axes of experience in investment projects in green infrastructure and climate actions, has set an ambitious goal: to ensure that 50% of the general financing approved for 2025 is aimed at climate financing. In 2021, the bank announced that all its operations would be aligned with this goal, with the expectation that cumulative climate financing approvals will reach $50 billion by 2030. By the end of 2022, AIIB had already approved US$ 6.81 billion in financing for 202 sustainable infrastructure projects, distributed among 33 member countries.
The G20
In a meeting with the Brazilian delegation, China’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Zhang Zhen, confirmed that the country will send representatives to Brazil to assist the tourism ministers of the G20, which takes place in Belém (PA) the following September. Finally, Zhen extended an invitation to Mtur to participate in the China International Tourism Fair, which will be held in November 2024 in Shanghai.