Brazil to emphasize climate change, sustainable development in Hangzhou

RIO DE JANEIRO - The Brazilian government emphasized Saturday that it will focus on climate change and sustainable development during the G20 Summit on September 4-5 in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

In a video released by the government, the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Serra, stated that Brazil will seek ways to raise global trade, especially for raw materials, which are of supreme importance for Brazil's commercial balance.

"We are a country doing very well environmentally, compared with the rest of the world. We will put great emphasis on sustainable development, to determine the right practices and the right policies," said Serra.

Before arriving in Hangzhou, the Brazilian delegation attend a Brazil-China business seminar in Shanghai, where they presented the potential for investment opportunities in the South American country to Chinese investors.

China was Brazil's main trading partner in 2015, with bilateral trade of $71.6 billion. Furthermore, in the first six months of the year, exports from Brazil to China rose by 7.0 percent, particularly due to meat, iron and grain exports.

"We want the Chinese to come with more investments in infrastructure, transport and logistics. Today, the cost of production is very high due to infrastructure deficiencies and the Chinese have the money and the interest to invest," confirmed Serra.