From small snack chains to major players - China in Brazil

As rush hour starts to set in in Downtown Rio, streets are as busy as in any large metropolis worldwide. Hungry workers start to gather to enjoy one of the many traditional snack options around town: the pastel, a thin, crispy, deep fried pastry with fillings such as melted cheese or ground beef. A Chinese specialty? Not quite. But most of the numerous "pastelarias" in Rio were opened by Chinese immigrants or their descendents during the past decades, and are associated by Brazilians with immigrants from the huge Asian country. Alexandre Wong, who inherited one such restaurant from his father – who came to Brazil in search for better work opportunities in the 1950's – doesn't have a clue as to why the "pastelarias" became a Chinese business. But he recognizes it is one of many clichés that are related to his forefathers' country today.

"The stereotype of the Chinese here is that they either work in the downtown market and sell 1.99 products, or in a 'pastelaria', he says, "and now there are also many street vendors who sell pirated goods around town". But if in his father's time the simple folk were the ones arriving in Brazil, Wong realizes that today this is no longer true: "The Chinese are opening telecommunications companies. Today you see many businessmen coming here to invest."

Born in Rio, Wong has been to China, but says the snacks there are a lot different to his made-in-Brazil Chinese specialities. His restaurant is called Yaki: to live up to modern demands, he started serving yakisoba. Chinese food did have a good reputation back in the 80's, but with time, Japanese sushi and sashimi became more popular. Today there are few remaining Chinese restaurants in Rio, many of them have been put out of business by generic fast-food-chains like "China in Box", where a mixture of oriental dishes are sold – in a box.

Winning by quantity, not quality

So it's not hard to understand the survival of the cliché. Writer Leandro Mueller says he associates China not only with the idea of fast-and-cheap-food, but also with the invasion of products of doubtful quality and low cost. "I associate China with the process of producing cheap products, and then succeeding through the volume of sales, not by the product's quality."

Mueller works in one of Rio's largest bookstores and regrets having such little access to Chinese literature here. He's not alone in associating the country mostly with economic power. Gradually, however, the idea of "1.99" products sold in massive quantities is being substituted by that of another China: the China which is a strong investor, a strong business partner and a strong technological power.

The country's remarkable economic strength is regarded with a mixture of awe, respect and mistrust in Brazil. China's reputation as a state with restricted freedom of speech and little attention to human rights echoes in the media here, and this negative view influences the manner in which its economic growth is regarded. "China is going to lead to the next Cold War with the United States", says an engineer called Alfredo, 58 years old. "Their economy is going to beat the US and there will be another fight like the one against the Soviet Union."

Huge growth of Chinese presence is expected in Brazil

Of course, not all Brazilians have such a radical opinion. In general, China enjoys a positive image here: according to the Global Poll conducted for the BBC World Service by GlobeScan and the University of Maryland in 2006, 57% of the Brazilians have a mainly positive view of the country. But there is a general feeling that China will expand its presence here in the years to come.

"To me, China represents cultural explosion, economic explosion and the idea of an economic power that in 20 years will be able to rival that of the United States. It's the future", summarizes lawyer Attilio Gorini, 37 years old.

China's strong presence in Brazil is no longer a promise for the future. Last year, the country became Brazil's major business partner, surpassing the United States in the process. And on April 15, President Hu Jintao made his second visit to Brasilia and signed further cooperation agreements with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. On the occasion, agreements were also signed with India and South Africa, in the second summit of the so-called BRIC-countries. Between 2010 and 2014, Brazil and China want to further strengthen relations in 11 areas, such as agriculture, industry, cience and technology and culture. According to President Lula, business between Brazil and China has grown by 780% since 2003 – and is currently worth a total of USD 36 billion.

Author: Julia Carneiro (Rio de Janeiro)
Editor: Grahame Lucas