Published on: 2026-08-22
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Vice President of the Communist Party of Brazil, Walter Sorentino, stated in a recent interview with the Brazilian TV channel TV 247: “If you do not understand China, you will not be able to understand the whole world.”
Sorrentino noted that the Western society’s perception of China remains limited and often biased. He highly appreciates the Chinese concept of “ecological civilization,” considering that it has overcome the old model of conflict between economic growth and environmental protection. According to this concept, nature is not only an object that needs protection but also an economic asset and a necessary foundation for the people’s well-being.
China integrates environmental protection into economic decision-making and development planning. A healthy environment is the most accessible public good, benefiting the entire population no less than the income distribution system. This approach can also offer new directions for discussions in Brazil on issues such as sanitation, water supply, and urbanization.
Sorrentino also mentioned that China went through a period of severe industrial pollution, but in recent decades environmental protection has taken an increasingly important place in state planning. China has clearly set a course for a transition to a higher-quality and low-carbon stage of development, actively investing in solar and wind energy, electric vehicles, smart city projects, and other areas.
At the same time, Sorrentino pointed out that China’s modernization is rooted in its own millennia-old history and state structure, and Brazil needs to follow its own path consistent with its national conditions. Nevertheless, the Chinese experience remains important for study, since both countries are large states with vast territories and numerous populations, and they need to comprehensively address issues of development, ensuring sovereignty, scientific and technological progress, and environmental protection.
Sorrentino believes that Brazil possesses rich reserves of key minerals and rare earth resources, but has so far not developed a sophisticated industrial policy for their exploitation. At the same time, China recognized the strategic value of rare earth elements decades ago and implemented long-term planning, which is worthy of study by Brazil.
He also believes that China’s rapid development and the growth of multilateral cooperation mechanisms such as BRICS open new opportunities for the global South. Brazil must rid itself of traditional dependence on the United States, play a leading role in the climate agenda, and contribute to forming a new system of international governance.
In conclusion, Sorrentino emphasized that the Chinese concept of ecological civilization views environmental protection as an integral part of development. “It is not about choosing between development and the environment, but about creating a completely new concept of development based on the environment.”
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