Breaking the U.S. strategic encirclement, "China Railways" diplomacy accelerates: Brazilian President Lula visits China, promoting the Pan-Amazon "Two-Ocean Railway" plan.

Brazilian President Lula arrived in China on Saturday, May 10, to begin a state visit. Prior to his visit, Brazilian government officials revealed that both China and Brazil are actively discussing the joint construction of a 5,000-kilometer-long "Two-Ocean Railway" spanning the South American continent, connecting the eastern coast of Brazil with the Chancay Port on the western shore of Peru. China has expressed "great interest" in assisting with the construction of this railway project.

Central News Agency reported that China's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that Lula will conduct a state visit to China from May 10 to 14. Subsequently, the Observer Network cited a report by Brazilian media Carta Capital, indicating that Brazilian Planning and Budget Minister Tebet stated on the 9th that about a month ago, Brazilian representatives had met with Chinese state-owned railway enterprise representatives to discuss the feasible routes for this "Two-Ocean Railway," which will connect the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The Chancay Port is a key project under China's "Belt and Road Initiative" in Peru and is also seen as a significant symbol of China's efforts to open up trade channels in South America. The port is expected to be operational by November 2024.

Tebet pointed out that the original railway route proposed by China directly traversed the Amazon region but was met with objections from the Brazilian government due to concerns over tropical rainforest ecosystems and the rights of indigenous peoples. After negotiation, the new route will shift southward, starting from Acre State in the far west of Brazil, extending eastward to Tocantins State, and connecting with the "East-West Integrated Railway" [FIOL] being constructed by China Railway Corporation, finally reaching the Bahia State on the Atlantic coast.

She noted that it is estimated that this railway project will take 5 to 8 years to complete, although the construction period is long, once completed, it will bring profound economic impacts to the vast underdeveloped inland areas of Brazil.

The report added that the Brazilian government hosted a delegation of Chinese officials and technical experts on April 16, where both sides discussed the issue of "Brazil and South American Integration," with the "Two-Ocean Railway" being one of the core projects.

In fact, the concept of the "Two-Ocean Railway" can be traced back to the 1960s when it was first proposed by leaders of several Latin American countries. However, due to numerous economic and geographical obstacles, the plan remained stagnant until July 2014 when China again proposed the initiative to construct the "Two-Ocean Railway." The initial route planning started from the state of Rio de Janeiro, crossing the entire South American continent to reach the Callao port in Peru, with a total length of 4,919 kilometers.

Source: rfi

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831808510177280/

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