Brazil has declined to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), making it the second BRICS member, after India, to opt out of the project.

Brazil becomes second BRICS country after India not to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

• There are several countries which either declined to join BRI or has left BRI.
  • For Example Italy withdrew from the MoU for BRI in December 2023. Italy was the only G7 nation which had signed the MoU in 2029.
• Alternative Collaboration Approach: Brazil aims to foster collaborative opportunities with Chinese investors by aligning on specific Brazilian infrastructure priorities, without committing to a formal BRI framework.
• BRICS Dynamics and India’s Stance: Brazil’s decision aligns it closer to India’s stance, as India has consistently opposed the BRI, especially due to sovereignty concerns over projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
• China’s Perspective: China argues that cooperation with Latin American countries like Brazil aligns with the aspirations of the Global South for a more equitable international economic structure.

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About China’s Belt and Road Initiative or BRI

• The Belt and Road Initiative or BRI was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping  in 2013.
• Objective: To connect Asia with Europe and Africa, through a network of railways, highways, ports, airports, and other infrastructure projects with the intent to promote trade, investment, and economic growth in participating countries.
• Principal components: The Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road. 
• Geographic Corridors under BRI
  • China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
  • New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor.
  • China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor.
  • China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.
  • China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor.
  • China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
• Since India refused to join BRI, the BCIM corridor has also stalled, and has been replaced by a later launched China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
• Renaming from ‘One Belt and one Road’ to to BRI: Earlier, it was named as ‘One Belt One Road’, which brought about numerous misinterpretations, as the partners tend to focus too much on the word “one”, assuming that there is to be only one maritime route and a single land belt.
  • In reality, “The Belt and Road Initiative aims to connect Asia, Europe and Africa along five routes.” Hence it was renamed Belt and Road Initiative.
• Countries Joining BRI: As of now 150 countries have signed documents to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including China itself.
  • Africa: 44 countries
  • Europe and Central Asia: 34 countries
  • East Asia and Pacific: 25 countries
  • Latin America and Caribbean: 22 countries
  • Middle East and North Africa: 19 countries
  • South East Asia: 6 countries

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India’s stand on China’s Belt and Road Initiative

• India strongly opposes China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), because it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
  • CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Baluchistan with China’s Xinjiang province is the flagship project of BRI.
• India’s main concern is that this project disregards its sovereignty and territorial integrity.