LATIN AMERICA CORNER
of the most important trading partners of India in the LAC
region, and bilateral trade has increased substantially in the
last two decades. A plethora of sectors have seen investments
between India and Brazil. While Brazilian companies have
invested in automobiles, IT, mining, energy, biofuels, and
footwear sectors in India, Indian companies have invested
in Brazilian sectors such as IT, pharmaceutical, energy, agri-
business, mining, engineering, auto sectors, etc.
Here, let us take a quick look at the Indo-Brazil
relationship under Bolsonaro:
Trade agreements
Bolsonaro has proposed to reduce many import rates and
the non-tariff barriers, parallelly establishing new bilateral
agreements. It will be a golden opportunity for India, which
does not have a bilateral trade agreement with Brazil, to sign
one while a pro-business government is in power. Talks for
the same may commence during the upcoming high-level
visit by India to South America.
Privatization
Bolsonaro has promised to privatize diff erent Brazilian
sectors such as Energy, Infrastructure, etc., while also de-
bureaucratizing the entire bidding process. Indian companies
have recently started to win big public tenders in Brazil and
will be investing big in the market. Thus, these will only
create more opportunities for Indian companies to explore
the Brazilian market further.
China
Jair Bolsonaro has criticized China throughout his
campaign saying that “China is not buying in Brazil, but
China is buying Brazil.” He also visited Taiwan leaving the
Chinese Embassy in Brasilia to throw tantrums. The USD
74 billion trade between China and Brazil is poised to move
south, which will make for an advantage to India.
Diplomacy
“Novo Itamaraty,” meaning New Itamaraty, has been in all
of Bolsonaro’s election manifestos and in his victory speech.
Itamaraty is the Brazilian External Aff airs Ministry. Bolsonaro
has vowed to change Brazilian foreign policy to be friendlier
with right-leaning governments. India with its right of center
government can rejoice. The naming of Ernesto Henrique
Araujo Fraga as Bolsonaro’s External Affairs Minister
reinforces it. Also, this is the right moment for India to initiate
talks on visa reciprocity (e-visa) with Brazil. It is most likely
that India and a couple of other emerging economies might
soon benefi t from Bolsonaro’s policies. Once again, this
might be taken up during the upcoming high-level visit by
India to South America.
Bolsonaro during his visit to Taiwan
Terrorism
Bolsonaro has been a strict advocate against radical
religious terrorist outfi ts. He has often highlighted and shared
how his ideology aligns with that of the USA and Israel. He
has positioned himself and his government strictly against
terrorism and extremism of all sorts. Thus, India has a good
friend in Bolsonaro in the fi ght against terrorism.
Tourism
Reducing crime is ranked as one of the top agenda items
for Bolsonaro. In the coming years, Indian tourists will be
able to enjoy the beautiful Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, cheer
for their football team, visit the Amazon rainforest or just chill
on the beaches of Maragogi without any fear for their safety.
In conclusion, India should consider shaping its policies
towards Brazil to match with those of the new Brazilian
President-elect, Bolsonaro and his government. Indian
government should consider reaching out to Bolsonaro’s
team keeping in mind the areas, sectors for cooperation
and geopolitics while highlighting its contributions to the
high-technology sector and the fact that Indian businesses,
in contrast to China, are partners and actually create jobs in
Brazil, thereby adding value to the Brazilian economy. This
year, India and Brazil celebrate 70 years of their relationship.
It is time for India and Brazil to take their relationship to the
next level.
* Author works with the Latin American and the
Caribbean-LAC Desk in the Confederation of Indian
Industry-CII. He has lived in Brazil for more than 10 years.
All views expressed in this article are author’s personal views.
52 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 4 • April-May 2019, Noida