Two former Brazilian diplomats who played active roles in formalizing China-Brazil relations have shared their experiences and thoughts on the diplomatic milestone, as Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The two countries formally established diplomatic relations on August 15, 1974 and quickly moved to open embassies in each other's capitals. Ties were further boosted in 2006, when Brazil, Russia, India and China created the "BRIC" group, with South Africa joining in 2010, making the bloc now known as "BRICS".
China has been Brazil's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, with the bilateral trade volume between the two countries last year climbing by over 6 percent to exceed 180 billion U.S. dollars, according to customs data.
Diplomats' homes often feature souvenirs from their professional travels and at the home of veteran diplomatic official Marcelo Jardim, Chinese artifacts stand out, a testament to his long and deep connection to the Asian country.
When Jardim joined the foreign service in 1974, one of his first tasks was chaperoning a high-level Chinese delegation in Brazil. They were here only to explore the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations but instead returned with something much more significant.
"After three or four days here, the head of the mission was received by the vice minister of foreign trade, and he was told bluntly that President Geisel had given him instructions to propose that relations would be resumed at once during the stay of the exploratory mission. They were absolutely puzzled," said Jardim in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
After consulting Beijing, the Chinese diplomats informed the Brazilian side that the offer had been accepted.
"I was physically present, and it was a moment of great importance in our foreign policy," he said.
One document in Brazil's national library database, dated July 31, 1974 and tagged "secret", indicated that the then Foreign Affairs Minister Azeredo da Silveira suggested to then-President Ernesto Geisel that Brazil should try to close the deal when the delegation was still in Brazil, and discusses how to inform the relevant authorities that Brazil was adhering to the one-China principle.
Just a couple of months later, Jardim himself arrived in Beijing as one of the first diplomats to serve in the Chinese capital.
Rubens Barbosa, who concluded his foreign service career in 2004 as Brazil's ambassador to the United States, was a young secretary in 1974 when he received the assignment to travel to Beijing with two other colleagues to open the embassy there.
"It's a question of national interest. So they decided that it would be important for Brazil to have a relationship with China. And we had a very smooth relationship with a growing partnership, visits both ways," he said.
Former Brazilian diplomats share significance of China-Brazil relations
