Dilma will mention human rights on China trip

President Dilma Rousseff will visit Brazil’s newest biggest trade partner, China, from April 11 to 15. She will ask for formal support for United Nations reform and a permanent seat on the Security Council for Brazil. Dilma will also seek a larger role in multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Brazil and China are in tune about a greater role for emerging nations in those organizations.

Dilma will travel together with ministers and some 300 Brazilian business leaders. They will attend a Brazil-China Business Forum that is expected to have 600 participants.

As far as trade is concerned, Brazil now considers the Chinese market essential and would like to export more manufactured goods of higher aggregate value. However, the reality is that Brazil is being buried by a tsunami of Chinese manufactured goods. The Brazilian business community is deeply concerned, complaining that the low cost of Chinese goods is strangling competition. They want to put limits on Chinese imports.

Brazilian government officials say there is room for agreements on investments in energy, mining and agriculture, along with science, technology and innovation. Partnerships can also be set up in social areas. At the moment documents are being negotiated, word by word.

In a policy shift from the Lula era, Dilma has come out strongly in favor of human rights (she was arrested and tortured when she was in her early 20s during the military dictatiorship in Brazil). So far, under her leadership Brazil has voted in favor of an investigation of human rights violations in Iran. And is expected to mention the issue with the Chinese head of state. On his part, Hu Jintao is expected to do what he did in Washington when he was asked about human rights: admit that there is a lot to be done. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry does not consider mentioning the subject any problem, but sees it as normal.