Brazil enriches strategic relations with Japan and Vietnam

Today, March 24, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva began a tour of Asia with two destinations: Japan and Vietnam, aiming to expand the market and attract investment in this region.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is preparing for a busy week in Asia. (Source: Reuters)

Go further with Japan

Brazil is home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan, estimated at more than 2 million people, while the cherry blossom country is home to the fifth largest Brazilian community in the world, with about 211,000 people.

The year 2025 marks the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Japan (November 5, 1895). Since 2014, the two countries have maintained a strategic and global partnership, based on their traditional ties of people-to-people exchanges, the desire to strengthen cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation, the importance of bilateral trade and investment, as well as active coordination on international issues.

Within the framework of the G4 (along with Germany and India), Brazil and Japan jointly support reform of the United Nations Security Council. The main political dialogue mechanism between the two countries is the foreign ministers' dialogue, established in 2014 and held annually. The most recent meeting was held in 2023 in Brasilia.

“Japan is an economic powerhouse, our oldest traditional partner in Asia and the ninth largest source of foreign investment in Brazil, with a total investment of $35 billion in the past three years,” said Ambassador Eduardo Saboia, Director of the Asia-Pacific Department of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2024, trade between Brazil and Japan reached $11 billion, with Brazil posting a trade surplus of $146.8 million.

The aim of President Lula da Silva's visit is to promote priority areas and expand cooperation to new areas. "We have a good foundation of people-to-people and economic relations, but we need to go further. One of our big expectations is to open the Japanese market to Brazilian products, especially fresh beef and pork," Ambassador Eduardo Saboia emphasized.

Besides, "we are ready to discuss attracting investment. The two economies are highly complementary; Japanese investors, who have experience with the Brazilian market, have many opportunities to expand cooperation under the public-private partnership model."

In Tokyo, President Lula will meet with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru; and attend a business event organized by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), with the participation of 500 businesses from the food, agriculture, aerospace, beverage, energy, logistics and steel sectors.

It is expected that the two sides “will sign cooperation agreements in many areas in both the public and private sectors, including science and technology, sustainable fuels, education, fisheries and grassland restoration,” Ambassador Saboia revealed.

This is the fifth time President Lula da Silva has visited Japan and the second time he has visited Vietnam.

Take action with Vietnam

After his activities in Japan, President Lula da Silva will visit Hanoi from March 27, aiming to strengthen the strategic partnership, political dialogue and economic cooperation between the two countries. So far, the veteran leader is the first and only Brazilian head of state to officially visit Vietnam (July 9-10, 2008).

“Vietnam is the second country in Southeast Asia to become a strategic partner of Brazil. We are negotiating an action plan to implement this partnership, which is expected to be approved during the visit,” said Ambassador Saboia.

During his two previous terms as President, Mr. Lula da Silva focused on promoting cooperation with Vietnam in many fields such as economics, trade, science and technology, renewable energy, education and training.

This visit will focus on identifying joint actions and initiatives to implement the strategic partnership between the two countries, which was announced on November 17, 2024 when President Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Elevating the relationship to a strategic partnership will create conditions for the two countries to promote political dialogue, strengthen economic cooperation, boost trade and investment flows, expand coordination on multilateral issues, and implement new cooperation initiatives.

In 2024, trade turnover between Brazil and Vietnam will reach 7.7 billion USD, of which Brazil will have a trade surplus of 415 million USD. Vietnam is currently the 5th largest destination for Brazilian agricultural exports and stands out as one of the world's leading producers of coffee, rice and electronic products - areas with potential to expand bilateral cooperation.

“Trade between the two countries has increased from 500 million USD to nearly 8 billion USD – and the target is to reach 15 billion USD by 2025,” the Ambassador emphasized.

President Lula da Silva's visit to Japan and Vietnam demonstrates Brazil's commitment to strengthening relations with strategic partners in Asia, opening up new cooperation opportunities and promoting bilateral economic development.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/brazil-lam-giau-quan-he-chien-luoc-voi-nhat-ban-va-viet-nam-308710.html