Evandro Carvalho: "It's time for us to talk about socialism"

247 - During an interview on the program good night 247Professor Evandro Carvalho, a specialist in international law and scholar of China, argued that Brazil needs to resume the debate on socialism in light of the transformations in the world order led by the rise of China. "It's time for us to talk about socialism," the professor stated, while discussing the implications of the emergence of a new model of global governance.

The interview covered topics such as China's geopolitical role, disputes with the United States, and Brazil's challenges in an increasingly multipolar world. Carvalho—who is a professor at the Federal Fluminense University (UFF) and the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), and who lived and researched in China for over a decade—pointed out that the Chinese model, based on a unique form of socialism, can no longer be ignored.

"These words, which were demonized in the 20th century during the Cold War, perhaps need to be discussed calmly," the professor argued. "It's not about revisiting feelings or re-editing old models. The world is completely different. Chinese socialism has a different characteristic."

Carvalho emphasized that the combination of state planning and the market, pursued by China, subverts the traditional binary oppositions that marked the political debate of the last century. "What China proves is that its socialism coexists well with capitalism," he said. "As the Chinese themselves say: 'We were already trading before capitalism existed.'"

The US-China dispute and the global transition.

Analyzing the geopolitical landscape, Evandro Carvalho described the United States as a declining power, struggling to cope with the rise of China. "The United States will not peacefully cede the throne to China. Nor did that happen when the scepter of power passed from England to the USA," he said.

He also highlighted the emergence of new diplomatic codes promoted by China, such as the concept of a "community of shared destiny" and the proposal for "comprehensive process democracy." According to the professor, "countries like Brazil and China want greater democratization of the international system, while Western countries, which claim to be examples of democracy, are very authoritarian on the international stage."

According to Carvalho, this structural change in the international system, with greater prominence given to non-Western countries, should provoke profound transformations in the logic of global power. “The BRICS already have a larger GDP than the G7. Countries like China, India, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil are rising in the global pyramid, while Western countries are descending,” he analyzed.

Brazil and China: a strategic partnership

According to Evandro Carvalho, Brazil has the opportunity to leverage its partnership with China not only in commercial terms, but also in science, education, and technological development. "Brazil had to embrace this proposal to move from grains to minds," he stated.

He stated that China can help Brazil break free from its dependence on agribusiness and advance in strategic areas such as space engineering and the health sector. "China is heavily invested in brains. The future lies there," he observed.

Reflecting on Brazil's role in the new global arrangement, Carvalho stated that the country needs "greater engagement in the defense of sovereignty," and that this will only be possible with the strengthening of education, national solidarity, and the construction of a national project. "The reconstruction of a national project, with our diversity as a major value, fits very well with dialogue with China," he said.

A critique of liberalism and the recovery of the collective project.

Carvalho also criticized the hollowing out of liberal democracies, which in his view have been captured by personalistic power projects and private interests. He cited former US President Donald Trump as an example of leadership that "plays against its own country" and attacked the actions of the far right in Brazil, saying that it tries to demonize China and communism while simultaneously negotiating with the Asian country.

“The far right demonizes communism and has imploded democracy from within, but closes deals with China in the morning and criticizes it at night,” he said. “If China is our biggest trading partner, why not learn more about it and understand how its system works?”

In conclusion, Carvalho suggested that the Brazilian experience could enrich this debate, especially if the country revisits the ancestral knowledge of its indigenous peoples. “The more I study Chinese philosophy, the more I see connections with our indigenous peoples. The relationship between human beings and nature, for example, is present in both universes,” he stated.

"We need to discuss these issues openly and calmly, to understand this contemporary world and position the country in the best possible way." Watch: