Brazilian President Inacio Lula da Silva stated again this week that Brazil is weighing the possibility of joining China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the third time in as many months that he has done so. This latest statement was made during a speech Aug. 14 to a forum of industrialists, journalists organized by the Brazilian weekly Carta Capital and the National Confederation of Industries (CNI) to debate Brazil’s future, under the title, “A Project for Brazil.” President Lula is clearly interested in Brazil joining, pending hard bargaining with China, but as much as said that U.S. opposition is the primary obstacle to doing so. Lula reported:
“The Chinese want to discuss the Silk Road with us; we’re going to discuss the Silk Road. We’re not going to turn a blind eye, we’re going to decide what’s in it for us. … Because that’s the discussion. That’s why, ladies and gentlemen, Brazil needs to be prepared because after the G20, I have a bilateral meeting here in Brasilia with China. It’s a meeting in which we’re going to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations, but it’s also a meeting in which we’re going to discuss, if we’re ready, a long-term strategic partnership with China. In other words, we want to be a stronger economy than we have ever been. And we need to look for partners.
“Don’t think that when I talk about China I want to fight with the United States. On the contrary: I want the United States on our side as much as I want China. I want to know where we stand. Where am I going to enter? Who am I to dance with? Because Brazil needs to respect itself and we will respect each other if we have a project.”
