On November 17, 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping published a signed article in Brazilian media outlet Folha de S. Paulo under the title “A Friendship Spanning Vast Oceans A Voyage Toward a Brighter Shared Future” as he is traveling to Brazil for the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit and a state visit to the country. Following is an English version of the full text of the article:
万里交好共命运 携手扬帆正当时
A Friendship Spanning Vast Oceans
A Voyage Toward a Brighter Shared Future
中华人民共和国主席 习近平
Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China
应卢拉总统邀请，我即将对巴西联邦共和国进行国事访问，并出席二十国集团领导人里约热内卢峰会。
At the invitation of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, I will soon pay a state visit to the Federative Republic of Brazil and attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
巴西地大物博、风光旖旎、文化多元，是深受中国人民喜爱的国度。200多年前，中国的茶、荔枝、香料、瓷器等就远渡重洋来到巴西，架起两国经贸往来的桥梁，成为中巴人民友好交流的纽带。
Endowed with an expansive land, abundant resources, breathtaking landscapes and a rich tapestry of cultures, Brazil is a favorite destination of the Chinese people. Over two hundred years ago, as Chinese products, such as tea, lychee, spice and porcelain, traversed the oceans to reach the Brazilian shores, trade and economic exchanges began to bridge our two nations and became a bond of friendship between our people.
1974年8月15日，中国和巴西正式建立外交关系。50年来，中巴关系经受住了国际风云变幻的考验，日臻成熟活跃，有力促进了两国各自发展，也为世界和平稳定作出积极贡献，树立了两个发展中大国合作共赢、命运与共的典范。
Fifty years ago, on August 15, 1974, China and Brazil established full diplomatic ties. Our relationship has since withstood the test of a changing international landscape and become increasingly mature and vibrant. This dynamic relationship has not only boosted our respective development but also contributed significantly to world peace and stability. It has established a model for major developing countries to develop win-win cooperation and pursue a shared future.
双方始终坚持相互尊重、平等相待，理解和支持各自人民选择的发展道路。巴西是首个同中国建立战略伙伴关系的国家，也是首个同中国建立全面战略伙伴关系的拉美国家，两国关系始终走在中国同发展中国家关系的前列。中巴政府间对话合作机制完备，两国高层协调与合作委员会已经良好运行20年，在协调规划双方各领域合作、共谋发展方面发挥了重要作用。
China and Brazil value mutual respect and treat each other as equals. Our people appreciate and support each other’s choice of development path. Brazil is the first country to establish a strategic partnership with China. It is also the first nation in Latin America to enter into a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. Our relationship has always been a forerunner in the relations between China and fellow developing nations. The two governments have between them a full-fledged mechanism for dialogue and cooperation, of which the high-level commission for coordination and cooperation has been in effective operation for 20 years and played a significant role in coordinating and planning cooperation in various fields and in promoting common development.
双方始终坚持互利共赢、优势互补，携手推进各自现代化进程。中国连续15年成为巴西第一大贸易伙伴，是巴西主要外资来源国之一。据中方统计，过去三年，中国自巴西年进口额均超过千亿美元。在两国共同努力下，双边贸易结构日益优化，合作水平持续提升，共同利益不断扩大，农业、基础设施、能源资源、绿色发展、科技创新、金融等领域互利合作亮点纷呈、卓有成效，有力促进了各自经济社会发展。
China and Brazil value mutual benefit and promote synergy between our comparative strengths as we work hand in hand to advance respective modernization. China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, and is a major source of foreign investment in Brazil. According to statistics from the Chinese side, China’s annual imports from Brazil in the past three years have stayed above 100 billion U.S. dollars. Thanks to our joint efforts, the structure of trade is becoming increasingly optimized, the level of cooperation is improving, and the scope of shared interests is expanding. Our mutually beneficial cooperation, with no shortage of bright spots and fruitful outcomes in areas of agriculture, infrastructure, energy, resources, green development, technological innovation and finance, has greatly promoted economic and social progress in both countries.
双方始终坚持开放包容、互学互鉴，有着天然的亲近感和对美好事物的共同追求。巴西著名诗人和作家塞西莉亚·梅雷莱斯、马查多·德·阿西斯都曾转译过中国的唐诗，体现了双方精神上跨越时空的共鸣。近年来，音乐、舞蹈、美食、体育等成为连接两国人民的新桥梁，双方相互了解和友好感情不断加深。巴西可爱的动物水豚、波萨诺瓦音乐、特色舞蹈桑巴和战舞在中国广受欢迎，中国春节等传统节日、中医药等传统文化为越来越多的巴西人民所熟知，两国青年、记者、学者互动频繁，地方交往积极活跃。今年，双方举办了一系列庆祝建交50周年活动，为两国人民奉上了一场场精彩纷呈的文化盛宴。这几天，我陆续收到来自巴中友好协会、巴西的大学师生、里约热内卢科帕卡巴纳要塞乐团等百余名巴西各界友好人士的来信，表达了对深化两国友好的热切期盼，令我十分感动。
China and Brazil champion openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning, and we share a natural affinity and a common pursuit of all that is beautiful. Brazil’s renowned poets and writers Cecilia Meireles and Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis translated poems from China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), though not directly from Chinese. Their commendable endeavors reflect the resonance between our two cultures that defy time and space. In recent years, music, dance, and other forms of art, along with cuisine and sport, have become a new bridge connecting the people of our two countries, helping to enhance amity and mutual understanding. Brazil’s cute capybaras, bossa nova music, Samba dance, and Capoeira are immensely popular in China. China’s traditional festivals like the Spring Festival and its cultural heritages such as traditional Chinese medicine are increasingly well-known among Brazilians. Our young people, journalists, and academics interact frequently, and subnational exchanges are active and vibrant. Since earlier this year, a series of events have been held in both countries to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, presenting to our people an array of splendid cultural and artistic feasts. In the last couple of days, I received letters from over a hundred Brazilian friends from across sectors, including the Brazil-China Friendship Association, university teachers and students, and the Copacabana Fort Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro. I am profoundly touched by their fervent desire to strengthen the friendship between our two nations.
双方始终坚持和平发展、公道正义，在很多国际和地区问题上有相同或相似的看法。两国同为国际关系基本准则和多边主义的坚定捍卫者，长期在联合国、二十国集团、金砖国家等国际组织和多边机制内，就全球治理、气候变化等重大议题保持密切配合。不久前，中巴共同发表了关于推动政治解决乌克兰危机的“六点共识”，得到国际社会积极回应。中巴携手发挥负责任大国作用和担当，促进了世界多极化和国际关系民主化，为世界和平稳定注入了正能量。
China and Brazil stay committed to peace, development, fairness and justice. We have similar or identical views on many international and regional issues. Both are staunch defenders of the basic norms of international relations and multilateralism, coordinating closely and consistently within the United Nations, G20, BRICS and other international organizations and multilateral mechanisms on crucial issues, including global governance and climate change. Not long ago, China and Brazil jointly issued a six-point common understanding on political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Our initiative has received a positive response from the international community. China and Brazil, embracing our roles and responsibilities as major countries, have contributed to a multipolar world, conduced to greater democracy in international relations and injected positive energy into global peace and stability.
当前，世界百年变局加速演进，新挑战、新变化层出不穷。“百舸争流，奋楫者先；千帆竞发，勇进者胜。”作为东西半球两大发展中国家和金砖国家重要成员，中巴两国要更加紧密地团结在一起，勇做“破风者”和“逐浪者”，并肩开辟新航道，携手驶向属于两国人民以及人类更加美好的未来。
Today’s world is undergoing an accelerating transformation unseen in a century. New challenges and new changes continue to arise. As a Chinese saying goes, “In a race of a hundred boats, those who row hardest will lead; among a thousand sails competing, those who advance most bravely will win.” As major developing countries in the eastern and western hemispheres respectively and important members of BRICS, China and Brazil should unite more closely, row hardest and advance most bravely. We should pioneer new routes together and jointly set sail on a voyage toward a brighter shared future that belongs to both our people and the whole of humanity.
我们要把牢中巴友好大方向。双方要始终坚持互尊互信、互学互鉴，进一步密切政府、政党、立法机关等各层级、各领域交往，加强治国理政和发展经验交流，不断巩固战略互信，夯实两国关系政治基础。继续充分发挥两国高层协调与合作委员会、全面战略对话等合作机制作用，积极构建稳定成熟的大国关系，推动两国关系行稳致远。
Our two countries should stay the course of friendly relations. We should remain committed to mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual learning. We should further intensify exchanges at all levels and across all fields, including between the governments, political parties, and legislatures, and step up the exchange of experience in state governance and national development. We should continuously strengthen strategic mutual trust and cement the political foundation of our bilateral relations. We should fully leverage the role of the China-Brazil high-level coordination and cooperation commission (COSBAN), the comprehensive strategic dialogue and other cooperation mechanisms to build a stable and mature major-country relationship and ensure its steady and sustained growth.
我们要培育中巴互利合作新动能。中国和巴西都将加快经济发展、改善人民福祉作为重要目标，都正在实现现代化道路上奋力前行。当前，新一轮科技革命和产业变革加速兴起，双方应该牢牢把握时代机遇，持续推进共建“一带一路”倡议同巴西发展战略对接，不断提升两国互利合作的战略性、全面性、开创性，打造更多顺应时代潮流、持久惠民的示范性项目，促进各自国家和地区共同发展。
Our two countries should foster new growth drivers for mutually beneficial cooperation. Both China and Brazil prioritize accelerating economic development and improving people’s livelihoods and both are forging ahead on the path of modernization. At present, as the new sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation gather pace, our two countries must seize the opportunities offered by the times. We should promote synergy between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Brazil’s development strategies, and we should keep enhancing the strategic impacts of our mutually beneficial cooperation, broaden its scope, and break new ground. We should foster more exemplary projects that align with the trends of the times, deliver lasting benefits to the people, and contribute to the common development of our countries and regions.
我们要厚植中巴人民友好基础。中巴文化丰富多彩、魅力独特，交相辉映、相互吸引。双方要继续发扬开放包容的优良传统，深化文化、教育、科技、卫生、体育、旅游、地方等领域交流合作，使两国在对方人民心中更加真实、立体、鲜活，为赓续中巴传统友谊培育更多民间使者，让两国文明在友好交往中和谐共生、兼容并蓄，不断丰富世界文明百花园。
Our two countries should solidify the foundation of people-to-people friendship. China and Brazil boast rich, diverse and uniquely fascinating cultures that are complementary and drawn to each other. We should uphold openness and inclusiveness, values that are imbued in our traditions, and deepen our exchanges and cooperation in the areas of culture, education, science and technology, health, sports, tourism, and at the subnational levels. This will help our people view each other’s countries in a more accurate, multidimensional, and vivid light, and cultivate more people-to-people ambassadors who will carry forward the China-Brazil traditional friendship. Friendly exchanges, in turn, enhance harmony and mutual enrichment between our civilizations and make the garden of human civilization more colorful and more vibrant.
我们要彰显中巴团结互助大国担当。当前，“全球南方”群体性崛起，但其声音和诉求在当前国际治理体系中尚未得到充分反映。作为世界主要发展中大国，我们应该肩负起历史赋予我们的责任和担当，同广大“全球南方”国家一道，坚定捍卫发展中国家共同利益，合作应对全球性挑战，推动全球治理体系朝着更加公正合理的方向发展，为世界和平稳定和共同发展作出中巴贡献。
Our two countries should strengthen solidarity, support each other and fulfill our responsibilities as major countries. Despite its collective rise, the Global South has yet to have its voice and demands fully heard and reflected in the existing international governance system. As two of the world’s major developing countries, China and Brazil should take on the mantle of historical duty and responsibilities. We must work together with others in the Global South to resolutely safeguard the developing nations’ common interests, address global challenges through cooperation, and promote a global governance system that is fairer and more equitable. China and Brazil should make our distinctive contribution to world peace, stability and common development.
我这次到访巴西还有一个重要目的，就是出席二十国集团领导人峰会。二十国集团是国际经济合作重要平台。巴西就任主席国后，确立了“构建公正的世界和可持续的星球”主题，积极推动二十国集团各领域合作，为成功举办里约热内卢峰会打下了良好基础。卢拉总统将“抗击饥饿与贫困”作为里约热内卢峰会的主要议题，倡议成立“抗击饥饿与贫困全球联盟”，中方高度赞赏并将积极支持。
Another reason for my visit to Brazil this time is to attend the summit of the G20, an important platform for international economic cooperation. Following its assumption of the presidency, Brazil has established the summit theme as “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet” and made active efforts to advance G20 cooperation in various areas, laying a good foundation for the success of the summit in Rio de Janeiro. President Lula has placed fighting hunger and poverty high on the summit’s agenda and proposed the establishment of a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. China highly commends and will actively support his initiative.
建设一个公正的世界，需要二十国集团本着相互尊重、平等合作、互利共赢原则，支持“全球南方”国家实现更大发展。要把发展置于二十国集团合作的核心位置，把实现联合国2030年可持续发展议程作为优先工作，构建全球可持续发展伙伴关系，推动实现更加包容、更加普惠、更有韧性的全球发展。要积极推进国际货币基金组织、世界银行、世界贸易组织改革，提升“全球南方”代表性和话语权。要加强宏观经济政策协调，推进贸易和投资自由化便利化，营造开放、包容、非歧视的国际经济合作环境。
Building a just world requires the G20 to honor the principles of mutual respect, equal-footed cooperation and mutual benefit, and support Global South countries in achieving greater development. Development must be placed at the center of G20 cooperation, and the attainment of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must be a top priority. A global partnership for sustainable development must be built, and global development must be more inclusive, beneficial to all and more resilient. It is important to press ahead with the reform of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization and to increase the representation and voice of the Global South. Macroeconomic policy coordination must be stepped up, and trade and investment liberalization and facilitation promoted, to create an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for international economic cooperation.
建设一个可持续的星球，需要二十国集团倡导可持续的生产方式、生活方式，实现人与自然和谐共生。要深入推进绿色低碳、环境保护、能源转型、应对气候变化等领域国际合作，秉持共同但有区别的责任原则，在资金、技术、能力建设等方面为“全球南方”国家提供更多支持。32年前，联合国环境与发展大会在里约热内卢举行，达成了《21世纪议程》等重要成果。二十国集团领导人在里约热内卢相聚的一项重要议程，就是讨论全球绿色低碳发展。希望里约热内卢峰会能为全球可持续发展注入更大动力和更强信心。
Building a sustainable planet requires the G20 to promote sustainable production and lifestyle as a way to achieve harmony between humanity and nature. The G20 must advance international cooperation in such areas as green and low-carbon development, environmental protection, energy transition and climate change response. It must honor the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and provide more funding, technology and capacity-building support to Global South countries. Thirty-two years ago, the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro produced important outcomes such as Agenda 21. This time again in Rio, an important topic for discussion at the G20 leaders’ meeting is global green and low-carbon development, and I hope the summit will provide stronger momentum and greater confidence for global sustainable development.
我相信，二十国集团领导人里约热内卢峰会一定能够取得丰硕成果，在二十国集团历史进程中留下鲜明的“巴西印记”。我也期待同卢拉总统一道努力，引领中巴关系进入新的“黄金50年”，构建更加公正和更可持续的命运共同体。
I am confident that the Rio de Janeiro Summit will achieve fruitful outcomes and leave a distinct Brazilian mark on G20’s history. I also look forward to working with President Lula to usher in a new “golden 50 years” for China-Brazil relations, and promote a more just and sustainable community with a shared future.
