*Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who also serves as the minister for industry & trade, has led a delegation of government ministers and company executives to China which has produced various agreements spanning a range of areas. These include agriculture, climate, energy, education, culture, and health, among other bilateral interests. For example, Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac announced an investment of US$100m for projects with Brazilian partners, including public health think tanks Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) and Instituto Butantan, to develop vaccines and other treatments such as monoclonal antibodies and cell therapy. Chinese coffeehouse chain Luckin also agreed to import more Brazilian coffee. Ahead of Alckmin’s China visit, media speculation had been building on whether Brazil would become an official signatory of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI), China’s flagship global infrastructure investment initiative, but Alckmin said in a press conference that this was not a decision to be made during this trip.
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