Tarso wants Rio Grande do Sul on the Chinese investment radar.
Accompanied by state secretaries and heads of state-owned companies, the governor met with Ambassador Valdemar Leão in Beijing; the delegation from Rio Grande do Sul is also expected to visit Wuhan and Shanghai.
State government - The Rio Grande do Sul delegation on the government mission to China had its first official agenda on Sunday afternoon (1st), in Beijing, in a meeting with the Brazilian ambassador to the country, Valdemar Leão. At the meeting, Governor Tarso Genro detailed the prospects for development and the materialization of investments and partnerships between China and Rio Grande do Sul.
The governor, accompanied by state secretaries and heads of state-owned companies, presented the delegation from Rio Grande do Sul and spoke about the strategic objectives of the official agenda in China, which, in addition to Beijing, will also include the cities of Wuhan and Shanghai.
"Rio Grande do Sul is unblocked from the point of view of globalization and, from a specific vision of how the region should integrate, it is essential that, within the framework of the countries' foreign policy, the regions also constitute their own foreign policy. Only in this way can they boost their development. From this vision arises the mission to China," said Tarso.
In addition to explaining the objectives of the Rio Grande do Sul delegation's trip to the Eastern country, Tarso highlighted previous governmental missions from Rio Grande do Sul to countries such as South Korea, England, Israel, and Palestine, which resulted in a series of cooperation agreements, economic partnerships, and investments in the state.
Chinese Challenge
Ambassador Valdemar Leão spoke about the current state of the Chinese economy and the adaptation of the formula that guaranteed the development boom of the last decade – based on a model of investment in infrastructure and exports – combined with a policy of increasing income and domestic consumption. In the ambassador's opinion, the reduction in resource allocation to infrastructure will lead Chinese companies to seek new business opportunities outside the country.
The diplomat also said that Rio Grande do Sul needs to be on the Chinese investment radar, and two areas of need could become opportunities for the state: the first, in the energy sector, due to the depletion and limitation of non-renewable sources in China; and the second, in the field of food security, as food production tends to fall and become insufficient with the intense migration from rural areas to cities. China currently produces 90% of what it consumes.
Partnerships
The new phase of the Chinese economy has also allowed for discussions about potential partnerships and types of financial models for projects such as the Porto Alegre metro, the ERS-010 highway, and the 20 de Setembro and Serra Gaúcha airports. In the energy sector, the Secretary for Development and Investment Promotion, Mauro Knijnik, highlighted the thermal power generation potential of Rio Grande do Sul, which holds 90% of Brazil's coal reserves, along with a policy for renewable energies, in addition to its consistent participation in the field of wind energy.
Also participating in the meeting at the Brazilian embassy in China were the state secretaries of Infrastructure and Logistics, João Victor Domingues, and General Government, Vinicius Wu, as well as the advisor for Cooperation and International Relations, Tarson Nuñez, the president of the Rio Grande do Sul Agency for Development and Investment Promotion (AGDI), Ivan de Pellegrin, the deputy secretary of Agriculture, Claudio Fioreze; the president of CEEE, Gerson Carrion, the president of Badesul, Marcelo Lopes, the representative of BRDE, José Hermeto Hoffmann, and state deputies Marisa Formolo, Miriam Marroni and Raul Carrion.
Highlights of the agenda for this Monday, December 2nd.:
9 a.m. - A delegation from Rio Grande do Sul visits the Foton Motors truck factory. The delegation will be received by the group's vice president, Wang Xiangyin, and representatives from Foton Aumark do Brasil. The automaker will install a unit in Rio Grande do Sul, in Guaíba;
16:30 PM - Governor Tarso Genro will give a lecture at the People's University in Beijing. He will speak about international politics and the current political and economic situation in Brazil. The audience will consist of professors, international relations students, and members of the university's administration.
Text: Marcelo Nepomuceno