Today, how the 5G war between the U.S. and China relates to the coronavirus vaccine. What to expect from Brazil’s economy. And the looming risk of new lockdowns.
Coronavirus vaccine becomes bargaining chip in 5G war
Despite adopting an anti-China stance since the beginning of the pandemic, President Jair Bolsonaro has decided to change his tune and extend an olive branch to Beijing — upon whom Brazil depends to source vaccine inputs. The president is now no longer expected to issue a ban on Chinese telecom giant Huawei for Brazil’s upcoming 5G auction, despite hinting toward such a move on multiple occasions.
Why it matters. Brazil has struggled to obtain clearance from China for the import of inputs for the production of the CoronaVac in São Paulo — which has led to negotiation efforts from multiple ends, from Congress to lobbyists, to improve diplomatic relations between Beijing and Brasília. While officially an administrative issue, people close to negotiations say that a positive relationship would have effectively greased the wheels of Chinese bureaucracy.
- It didn’t go unnoticed that Communications Minister Fábio Faria attended a meeting with the Chinese Embassy this week, which was officially to discuss vaccine inputs.
Brazil-China relations. From...