SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AMBASSADOR ERNESTO ARAÚJO, AT THE OPENING OF THE BRAZIL-CHINA HIGH-LEVEL BUSINESS SEMINAR OCTOBER 25, 2019 FUNDAÇÃO ALEXANDRE DE GUSMÃO SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AMBASSADOR ERNESTO ARAÚJO, AT THE OPENING OF THE BRAZIL-CHINA HIGH-LEVEL BUSINESS SEMINAR* A very good morning to all. President Jair Bolsonaro’s government is Mr. President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro; opening Brazilian economy to the world and Mr. Hu Chunhua, Vice-Prime Minister of the stimulating business and investment. We will People’s Republic of China, on whose behalf I embrace the full potential of Brazilian greet all of the Chinese officials present here, economy, removing the obstacles to trade and ministers of the Brazilian government, members the barriers to competition which limit our of Congress, Mr. Governor of the state of potential for growth. We will also better Acre, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen. integrate Brazil into the global economy and It is with great pleasure that I welcome all the global value chains. We are already doing here to this conference, which demonstrates this. We are recovering lost time in transforming the common drive for us to expand the Brazil in a center with a much firmer, much economic partnership between Brazil and more decisive presence. One essential China. We consider of fundamental importance dimension of this effort is attracting investment the opinion, experience, ideas and dynamism to Brazil, which is already being facilitated of Brazilian and Chinese entrepreneurs for us through the reduction of bureaucracy, through to build the Brazil-China partnership in the our robust investment programs. The Brazilian way it deserves and in the way both societies government thus grants special importance to expect from us, so as to generate jobs, attracting investment for strategic infrastructure generate income, generate growth, generate projects, in the scope of the investment economic dynamism. That is why today partnership program [Programa de Parcerias Brazilian and Chinese enterprises will present de Investimentos (PPI)], which relies on direct here success stories of business between support not only from the Ministry of Foreign Brazil and China, bringing us not only Affairs, but from practically all the agencies in concrete examples of things that work, but the Brazilian government, several of them also the paths we can follow together to fully represented here. It is essential to say, to embrace the opportunities opening up repeat, that today the Brazilian government between our productive sectors. works as a team; here we have several ministers ________________ * Non-official translation of the speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ernesto Araújo, at the opening of the Brazil- China High-Level Business Seminar, in Beijing, on October 25, 2019. Source: <http://www.itamaraty.gov.br/pt-BR/discursos- artigos-e-entrevistascategoria/ministro-das-relacoes-exteriores-artigos>. Audio (Portuguese only) is available at: <https://soundcloud.com/itamaratygovbr/fala-do-ministroernesto-araujo-na-abertura-do-seminario-empresarial-brasil-china-pequim- 251019>. Speech by the Chancellor Ernesto Araújo at the Brazil-China High-Level Business Seminar of the Brazilian government, here we have the Brazil, we are working fast, as the President of Chief of Staff, for instance, who coordinates the Republic has announced, working fast to the investment partnership program, Minister fully facilitate the access of Chinese tourists of Agriculture, Minister of Mines and Energy, and businessmen and businesswomen to Minister of the Institutional Security Office, all Brazil. We consider this to be a frontier which working in unison to develop and embrace is opening itself with huge possibilities for both these opportunities which are arising. countries, the area of tourism. Also in sport, In the case of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that is an area with a natural ease of we are very committed both to the agenda of interchange between Brazil and China, not economic openness and to the agenda of only due to the economic opportunities for investment promotion, including through the investment in sport this generates, but also Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion due to the decisive dimension of contact Agency (APEX), which we are re-dynamizing; between both societies. I would like to greet the President of APEX, Another fundamental aspect is that Brazil Sergio Segovia, who is present with us today can contribute immensely to food security in so that we can have a determining presence China. In the last decades, Brazil has developed here in China for the construction of these a capacity to harmonize agricultural production new partnerships. We expect new Chinese and environmental preservation, maintaining investments, not only in infrastructure. Since itself simultaneously as one of the countries yesterday, we have been witnessing opportunities which most protect their native vegetation and in creative economy, for instance, in the areas one of the largest food producing countries in of innovation, of logistics. We are increasingly the world. More than 60% of the Brazilian enthusiastic with the possibilities of this partner- territory is covered in native vegetation, with ship and we also consider of fundamental agricultural and livestock activities limited to importance the presence of Chinese investment approximately 30% of the territory, with only in the sectors of oil, gas, and renewable 8% for agricultural activity, which gives an idea energies, another fundamental dimension of of Brazil’s enormous potential in this area and our interaction. We want Chinese investment of the prospects for complementarity with in new areas, such as oil refining and China. We hope that an increasing number of transportation of gas, among other areas of Chinese people can have access to the importance to business between Brazil and products of our agribusiness, produced in a China. We want more tourists from China in sustainable manner, and that China can also 2 Speech by the Chancellor Ernesto Araújo at the Brazil-China High-Level Business Seminar contribute to the correct perception of the our mutual interaction on the several sectors quality and sustainability of the Brazilian of the Brazilian and Chinese economies. agricultural sector. The Brazilian government, as well as, I am The entrepreneurs present here can talk certain, the Chinese government, are fully directly during the specific agribusiness committed to creating all the conditions so that meeting, as well as attending a panel with the this magnificent Chinese and Brazilian business Brazilian Minister of Agriculture and the community can increasingly become the institutions for research in agriculture and driving force for the new partnership, business livestock. In conclusion, I wish you all an growth and economic growth for both excellent business journey and I hope we can countries. use this event to deepen our mutual knowledge, Thank you very much. 3 .