Brazil-China cooperation yields great results in key sectors: Brazilian vice president

Brazil has achieved fruitful cooperation with China in a wide range of areas including agriculture, trade, space exploration and electric cars, said Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing on June 6.

As the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, Alckmin made an official visit to China from June 4 to 8, which was his first visit to the country since assuming the office in January 2023.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-Brazil High-level Coordination and Cooperation Committee (COSBAN) mechanism, which saw Alckimin co-chairing the seventh COSBAN meeting in Beijing earlier this month.

He told CCTV that the two sides have enjoyed broad cooperation and strengthened communication and coordination within the COSBAN mechanism.

"The COSBAN comprises 11 subcommittees aimed at discussing various issues, coordinating views of different parties, setting goals and exploring markets, so it is very important. Our meetings cover many fields such as mining, oil and health. So the areas of cooperation are very broad, ranging from agriculture to aviation. Of course, our main exports are soybeans, oil, iron ore, beef, pork and poultry, and the export volume is huge. I believe that we can make even greater progress in high value-added fields and industries in the future," he said. China has been Brazil's largest trading partner, export market and source of trade surplus for 15 consecutive years. Brazil is also China's largest trading partner in Latin America.

"The great achievements of bilateral cooperation are first reflected in our joint upholding of multilateralism and free trade in global geopolitics. The COSBAN's work is to expand trade opportunities and attract two-way investment. In addition to drawing more Chinese investment to Brazil, it also strives to attract more Brazilian capital for China, which enhances the trade complementarity between the two sides," said Alckmin.

Brazil and China will strengthen collaboration in science, technology, culture and tourism, said the vice president, as he hailed efforts to jointly develop satellites and advance space exploration under the China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite (CBERS) project.

Alckmin encouraged Chinese entrepreneurs to invest and start businesses in Brazil, emphasizing that the two countries have seen deepening cooperation in the field of electric vehicles, with famous Chinese manufactures such as BYD establishing factories in Brazil.

Alckmin said he welcomes the presence of Chinese EV companies in Brazil, as they will contribute to the country's "re-industrialization" efforts. "We launched the 're-industrialization' program in Brazil to boost the development of the automobile industry. The plan is called 'Green Travel' and covers multiple technical routes. I would like to talk about BYD in particular. BYD currently has a very important position in Brazil. Many other EV companies are also very popular in Brazil. Great Wall Motor also operates a factory in Brazil. Both companies produce products in Brazil, not only for the Brazilian domestic market, but also for other Latin American countries. We welcome this very much!" he said.

Brazil-China cooperation yields great results in key sectors: Brazilian vice president

Brazil-China cooperation yields great results in key sectors: Brazilian vice president

Brazil-China cooperation yields great results in key sectors: Brazilian vice president

Harvard University said Monday that it has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration's funding freeze, calling the action "unlawful and beyond the government's authority."

In a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the university said that this case involves "the government's efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision making at Harvard."

Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard's refusal to comply with its illegal demands, Harvard University President Alan M. Garber wrote in a letter to members of the Harvard Community.

A report by The New York Times said that the lawsuit "signaled a major escalation" of the ongoing fight between higher education and Trump, who has vowed to "reclaim" elite universities.

The administration has cast its campaign as a fight against antisemitism, but has also targeted programs and teaching related to racial diversity and gender issues, according to the report.

On April 11, Trump administration officials sent a letter to Harvard, demanding that the university make "meaningful governance reform and restructuring," noting that "an investment is not an entitlement."

On April 14, Harvard University rejected the Trump administration's demands to make sweeping changes to its governance, hiring and admissions practices. Just a few hours later, the Trump administration announced a freeze on 2.2 billion dollars in multi-year grants and 60 million in multi-year contract value to the university.

On April 16, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that Harvard University share information about the foreign student visa holders' illegal and violent activities by April 30, or risk losing its authorization to enroll international students.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has issued warnings to several top U.S. universities, stating that they could face funding cuts if they do not adjust their policies.

The administration's main demands include eliminating what it describes as antisemitism on campus and dismantling diversity initiatives that favor certain minority groups.

Against the backdrop of the Israel-Palestine conflict, many universities across the United States saw a wave of pro-Palestinian protests last year, drawing increased government attention to alleged antisemitic sentiments on campuses.

Harvard University sues Trump administration over funding freeze