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Ana Saggioro Garcia (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4106-5989) is Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations at PUC-Rio. General Coordinator of the BRICS Policy Center. Professor of the Graduate Program in Social Sciences at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro. PhD in International Relations from IRI/PUC-Rio and Master in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin (Germany). Member of the editorial board of the Socialist Register (Canada). Coordinator of the thematic area of International Political Economy of the Brazilian Association of International Relations (ABRI). Researcher at the Institute for Political Alternatives for the Southern Cone (PACS). Email: [e-mail]; [e-mail]

Cleiton Maciel Brito (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5372-7156) is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the Federal University of Grande Dourados. He was born in Manacapuru, a small town in the state of Amazonas. He earned his PhD in Sociology from the Federal University of São Carlos (2017). He received an award for his thesis from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), an agency of the Federal Government of Brazil (2018). He has published articles, book and book chapters on globalization, the China–Brazil relationship, and Amazonian studies. His most recent book and book chapter are respectively: China and Globalization in the Amazon: Workers, Expatriates, and the Chinese Production Model ( 2023, Routledge), Savage Factories of the Manaus Free Trade Zone: Chinese Investments in the Amazon and Social Impacts on Workers (2023, Stanford University Press). In 2020 he completed his postdoc research at the Federal University of Grande Dourados  on Chinese globalization. Email: [e-mail].

Hazel Shirinda (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8839-7484) is a Masters student and Environmental Activist from the University of Venda in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Hazel studied Environmental Science with a strict focus on Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation, and Climate Change. She is currently working towards the completion of her Master degree in Ecology and Resource Management. Hazel has been an active member of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve Youth Network which operates under the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in the Vhembe District in Limpopo province. She is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve Youth Network. Driven by her passion and love for nature conservation, she has worked with Professor Lisa Thompson as a Research Assistant for the past two years. Her research work is on the environmental impacts of coal mining, water resources and climate change. Email: [e-mail].

Lisa Ingrid Thompson (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5073-2611) is a full Professor in the School of Government situated at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Over the past 25 years, she has led numerous research projects in the areas of international development and participatory democratic development. Professor Thompson was Director of the African Centre for Citizenship and Democracy (ACCEDE) for 20 years. Prior to that, she was Director of the Centre for Southern African Studies (CSAS), focusing on regional economic integration. Research is located within critical international global development perspectives, with a strong grassroots community and social movements focus The Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) states renewed interest in Special Economic Zones and their potential to kick-start South Africa and the region is currently a major research project. Email: [e-mail].

Chapter Title and Subtitle:

A South-South China agenda? A comparative analysis of Chinese investments in South Africa and Brazil

Abstract:

Over the past few years, the world has observed a rapid rush to form “little Chinas” around the globe and no region has escaped the clutches of the Asian dragon. Europe and Asia, for example, have been arenas for intense Chinese capital advance and China’s strategy of connection and mobility. But it is the southern hemisphere that concentrates one of the main waves of China’s action in the world, especially in Africa and South America.  Reflecting a continental agenda deeply infused by China's Foreign Policy of “Going Out” and its close linkage with the Belt and Road Initiative of reviving the old Overland and sea Silk Route, South Africa and Brazil become important spaces for the expansion of Chinese capital. Through different political strategies, trade agreements and economic negotiations, China has sought to influence the economy and politics of these respective countries. In the case of South Africa, for example, not only has China become a major influencer at state leadership level, it has also become the dominant trade and investment partner on country, overtaking the US during the last decade in very sphere. Loans to national states, extraction of raw materials such as coal, and installation of Special Economic Zones are examples of this Chinese arm in the region. In terms of South America, Brazil stands out as the leading destination for Chinese investments in the region, focusing mainly on mining, energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, agribusiness sector, technology, and participation in the Brazilian industrial and production park. In this context, what are the impacts of this on the political and economic agenda of these countries? Is it a South-South agenda? What are the similarities and differences between them? What are the main social implications of this Chinese expansion? This chapter, through a methodology and comparative analysis based on field research, seeks to understanding this, analyzing the Chinese arrival in these spaces of the Global South and its attempt to be the leader of a South-South political economy. We also highlight changes in the number and volume of investment projects, the main sectors and companies involved and the form of entry of the investments. Furthermore, in a context where the economic expansion of Chinese investment loans, FDI and active involvement in development projects is a cause of concern, we seek, through two case studies carried out in South Africa (Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone) and Brazil (Manaus Free Trade Zone), to show the concrete impacts of Chinese capital on local populations in terms of public policies, environmental impacts and labor policies. The chapter concludes by indicating the limits and challenges for these countries in defending their national interests in the face of China's international advance.