Jair Bolsonaro's Attacks On China Have Consequences

Representatives of the Chinese government have traveled to Brasilia, capital of Brazil, in a bid to end tensions with presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently leading polls. 

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Bolsonaro, whose attacks on China threaten to put a strain on their trade relationship, met twice with Chinese diplomats in recent weeks to discuss Brazil's export of grain and minerals to China. 

Bolsonaro, nicknamed "Trumpzinho," has portrayed China - Brazil's largest trading partner, as a predator that is trying to appropriate part of the key sectors in the South American economy. “The Chinese are not buying in Brazil. They are buying Brazil,” Bolsonaro has repeatedly exclaimed.

The presidential candidate has criticized China on his campaign trail, saying the Chinese should not be allowed to own Brazilian land or control key industries. An ardent nationalist, Bolsonaro is expected to win a landslide victory in balloting this Sunday.

Bolsonaro had friendly approaches to Taiwan which he visited in February, becoming the first Brazilian presidential candidate to visit Taiwan since Brazil recognized Beijing as the sole Chinese government under the One China policy in the 1970s.

Then the Chinese embassy in Brazil issued a letter condemning Bolsonaro’s Taiwan trip as an “affront to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.”

Bolsonaro, if elected, could end relations with China and other countries from the BRICS, an acronym for the association of the five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.