Brazil has opted not to join China’s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), marking it as the second BRICS nation, after India, to decline participation in Beijing’s ambitious project aimed at developing infrastructure across partner countries. The decision signals Brazil’s intent to seek independent avenues for collaboration with China, focusing instead on partnerships that align more closely with its national priorities, according to Celso Amorim, Brazil’s special presidential adviser for international affairs.

Amorim recently told Brazilian newspaper O Globo that while Brazil intends to elevate its relationship with China, it sees no need to sign an accession contract for BRI membership. “We are not entering into a treaty,” he explained, adding that Brazil prefers not to rely on BRI as an “insurance policy” for its infrastructure growth. Instead, he suggested a selective approach, considering only those aspects of BRI which may synergise with Brazil’s own strategic projects and priorities, PTI reported.