McDowell Weighs in on Brazil-China Relationship in Washington Post Article

April 20, 2023

The Washington Post

Daniel McDowell

Political Science Department

Comparative Politics/International Relations Speaker Series

China

Economic Policy

International Affairs

Latin America & the Caribbean

The Washington Post

Daniel McDowell

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday and praised the strength of the countries’ relationship, including recent steps to bring the two economies even closer together—including an agreement enabling the two to make deals in their respective currencies.

The move gives Brazilian and Chinese companies the option to bypass the U.S. dollar for the transactions that make up their booming bilateral trade, which last year topped $150 billion.

“When China and Brazil sign an agreement like this, it’s trying to put into place the infrastructure that would make it possible to use China’s currency, but that doesn’t mean that individual firms are going to choose that,” says Daniel McDowell, associate professor of political science.

Read more in the Washington Post article, “Lula tells Xi ‘nobody can stop’ Brazil-China relationship.”