Brasil de Fato<\/p>\n
On Sunday morning (29) in the Chinese capital, Beijing, the president of the New Development Bank<\/a> (NDB), Brazilian economist Dilma Rousseff, received the Friendship Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Chinese state. Rousseff is the second Latin American to receive the medal, after former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro.<\/p>\n The honor was created in 2016 and is awarded to those who make outstanding contributions to China’s socialist modernization<\/a> by promoting exchanges and boosting cooperation between the Asian giant and foreign countries. Rousseff was the 12th foreigner to receive the medal. Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first foreigner to be awarded, in 2018. Earlier this year, a similar recognition awarded to foreign experts, the Chinese Government Friendship Award, was presented to Evandro de Carvalho Menezes, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation Law School, and Jos\u00e9 Raimundo Coelho, former president of the Brazilian Space Agency.<\/p>\n Rousseff spoke during the ceremony in the Great Hall of the People, the building used for sessions of the National People’s Assembly, welcoming of presidents, among other ceremonies and activities. She praised both the Chinese government<\/a> and President Xi Jinping \u2013 whom she called a \u201ctrue champion of international cooperation and a strong advocate of multilateralism\u201d \u2013 for their governance and contributions to global development.<\/p>\n \u201cChina’s commitment to reform and opening up has not only lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty but has also contributed significantly to global economic growth and stability,\u201d she told an audience of several of China’s top leaders, military personnel, students and representatives from various fields.<\/p>\n In his speech at the end of the ceremony, Xi Jinping praised the Brazilian former president. \u201cOver the past 75 years, there have been many old and good friends in the world who share the same aspirations and stand along with the Chinese people in good times and bad; Ms. Dilma Rousseff (…) is an outstanding representative among them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chinese people will never forget those friends who have made extraordinary contributions to China’s development and the friendship between the Chinese people and the people of other countries,\u201d concluded the Chinese president.<\/p>\n Rousseff was the only foreigner honored in this round of awards. Four people received the Medal of the Republic, and ten others received national honorary titles.<\/p>\n The honorees ranged from military personnel to scientists, plus cultural and health workers. At 93, Huang Zongde was the oldest of the recipients. He participated in everything from the revolution that triumphed in 1949 \u2013 known in China as the War of Liberation \u2013 to the resistance against US aggression in Korea during the Cold War.<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s future on the Belt and Road<\/p>\n In the afternoon, the president held a press conference for the Brazilian media. On the possibility of Brazil joining China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative, Rousseff highlighted the advantages that the Chinese development cooperation proposal represents. She said the partnership for industrialization and technology<\/a> transfer \u201cis a great opportunity that the Belt and Road offers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what I think is fundamental for Brazil,\u201d she said, citing the cases of industrial and technological parks created in countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.<\/p>\n As a second aspect of the initiative, she pointed out that it \u201cdoesn’t require exclusivity.\u201d \u201cYou can partner with the Belt and Road and with as many others as you want,\u201d explained Rousseff.<\/p>\n Another highlight is what the Chinese government calls a \u201cwin-win\u201d situation: \u201cThat’s the first time we’ve seen a country with some international prominence proposing common development. It was usually proposed as a division of labor: I industrialize and you produce commodities.”<\/p>\n The future of the New Development Bank<\/p>\n The NDB has a very important feature: it is a bank made by and for emerging countries, said Dilma. She explained that sustainability is one of the main focuses of the organization, which officially proposes actions in six areas: clean energy and energy efficiency, transport infrastructure, water and sanitation, environmental protection, social infrastructure and digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n