Tasso Jereissati, former governor of the state of Ceara, Brazil, reflected on Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to the Latin American country in 1996, a trip that took place when Xi was serving as deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Fujian Provincial Committee.
Xi, who will travel to Brazil for the G20 Summit after attending the upcoming 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Peru, visited the state of Ceara during that trip nearly three decades ago, where he signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a sister province/state relationship between east China's Fujian Province and Ceara.
Jereissati described Xi's visit as an exceptional and unique opportunity.
"China was just beginning to open up to the world, and we, here in Ceará, were making an effort to engage more with the international community, expanding our economic and cultural ties," he said.
Sharing his impressions of Xi, he noted that the Chinese president was "very attentive, an excellent listener, and very curious".
"He wanted to learn about our culture and economy, understand our main activities, and explore the reasons behind certain things. He spoke a lot about the exchange of information and cultural experiences. There was a great interest in promoting Chinese culture and also understanding our culture," said Jereissati.
The former governor believes there are immense prospects for future cooperation between the two countries.
"I think the potential is enormous. I believe we can be very complementary. We have many opportunities here that are not necessarily opportunities in China, and vice versa. Today, China is a different country -- it is a superpower that it wasn't at that time. I see several opportunities, including those we could foster, for example, through tourism, encouraging us to get to know each other better for a more multicultural world," he said.
Former state governor recalls President Xi's first visit to Brazil
