A victory by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the elections should reflect an improvement in the relationship between Brazil and China.
The assessment is by the executive Pedro Parente, founding partner of the manager eB Capital and former president of Petrobras and BRF.
“If there is one aspect that we can believe will change if ex-President Lula wins, it is the relationship with China,” said Parente, during participation in an Anbima and B3 event in São Paulo this Tuesday (20).
According to the expert, Brazil is currently experiencing a global macroeconomic moment that offers a unique opportunity, with the war between Russia and Ukraine and the energy crisis in Europe, making it the emerging country of choice for international investors.
“If there is a certain competence on the part of the government to enter, especially with the expected improvement in relations with China if former President Lula wins the election, we have an opportunity to regain attractiveness as an emerging country of choice for international investments. “, said Parent.
During the Bolsonaro government, the relationship with China was marked by hostilities from the president, ministers and their children against the Asian giant.
In May 2021, Bolsonaro suggested that the Asian country would have benefited economically from the pandemic and said that Covid-19 may have been created in a laboratory – echoing a thesis that is not supported by a WHO investigation into the possible origins of the virus.
In 2020, deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) had already compared the coronavirus pandemic to the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986.
“Given the need to increase food production due to population growth, especially in Asian countries, and even more especially India, as well as increasing urbanization, Brazil is indispensable on the international stage,” said Parente.
He added that, as a counterpoint to the positive scenario outlined for the relationship with China and for agribusiness in the country, it is the concern of the sector, “and that makes them mostly prefer the candidate Bolsonaro, who returns to that instability derived from unjustified invasions”. on productive properties, and a certain disorganization in the countryside. That would be very bad.”
Parente criticizes the “banalization of deviation” in Brazil
The executive also harshly criticized what he called the “banalization of deviance” in the country, evoking the concept of the “banalization of evil” coined by the German philosopher Hannah Arendt. He was referring to measures that have been adopted by the political class in the country that, in his opinion, should not be accepted by society.
He cited the secret budget as an example. “How is a secret budget acceptable? In my time, if we went to Congress, in a CPI, and talked about a secret budget, we would get arrested,” said Parente, who came to occupy the position of chief of office of the presidency of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
“Secret budget is unacceptable, and this lack of outrage bothers me a lot,” said the executive.
“We are getting used as a society to accept things that are far below what our country’s potential would be,” said Parente, who also referred to the discussions on the limited progress of reforms in the country, such as the tax one.
The diverse interests of all those involved in the proposed changes to the country’s tax regime, he said, prevent a more robust discussion on the subject from gaining strength and promoting progress that is, in fact, relevant.
“We don’t look at it from the point of view of what an ideal system would be, that actually allows an increase in Brazilian productivity, which should happen, and yet, we can’t do it because of this trivialization of deviation and acceptance of mediocrity.”
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