Opinion | Trump’s defeat leaves Bolsonaro rebalancing Brazil’s relations with US and China

Bolsonaro’s far-right discourse is likely to fall on deaf ears in the US unless it continues to serve the broader US anti-China strategy in Latin America

Bolsonaro is unlikely to shift his position on China soon, though he could take a more nuanced approach and seek new trade ties elsewhere in Asia

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro adjusts his face mask during a news conference in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 18, 2020. Under Biden, Bolsonaro’s far-right discourse is likely to fall on deaf ears. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:15pm, 28 Feb 2021Updated: 7:49pm, 28 Feb 2021

In a recent letter to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, US Senator Robert Menendez expressed “concern” with remarks made by Bolsonaro and his foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, on the election of US President Joe Biden.

Menendez, the chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called on Bolsonaro to join the US and the international community in “condemning the incitement of violence”. He said anything other than a “categorical rejection” of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol would have negative consequences for Brazil-US relations.

The letter was sent one day after Araújo and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had their first phone conversation since Biden took office.

For the US, the letter comes as a reminder for Washington not to soften its tone on Brasilia. This is because they are aware of Brazil’s relevance when it comes to one of the main US strategic concerns in Latin America: containing Beijing’s growing technological, economic and commercial influence.

Like his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden is also interested in having China out of the 5G bidding process and using infrastructure lending to curb Beijing’s financial muscle in the region. On the commercial front, Biden’s cautious efforts to facilitate trade ties with China are likely to pose constraints on Brazil-China trade and increase Brazil’s dependence on the US for its exports.

A worker inspects soybeans during the a harvest near the town of Campos Lindos in Brazil in February 2018. Brazil is the world’s largest soybean producer and China’s primary soybean supplier. Photo: Reuters

Biden will therefore need to balance the discourse to appease the most critical voices in the US Senate while maintaining Brazil in the US orbit.

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