"I think the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative is an innovation with great significance on the global stage" - this is the first sentence Marcos Cordeiro Pires, a professor of political economy at São Paulo State University who has long studied the relationship between China and Brazil, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily. Professor Pirez talked about his views on the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative around global development, science and technology and talent training, and China-Pakistan cooperation.

Bringing a major change to the international cooperation model

Pires said that since the 1970s, economic development has become a common agenda for developed and underdeveloped countries. However, during the period of neoliberal ideology flooding from 1979 to 2008, multilateral credit organizations controlled by the United States, Europe and Japan cut off the financing channels for infrastructure construction and instead allowed private enterprises to fill the demand gap. Private capital has given priority to chasing financial market returns and has never made substantial production investments in marginal countries.

In 2013, after President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative to jointly build the "Belt and Road", countries around the world have obtained new paths for constructive investment in roads, railways, hydropower stations, airports, irrigation systems, and clean energy. In this regard, the New Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund have become key pillars of development financing in the "Global South" countries. The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative forced the World Bank and even the regional development banks in Asia, Africa and Latin America to reform the infrastructure investment financing model, and even when the United States established an international development finance company, it had to adjust its investment policies.

Pires believes that in the current complex international environment, as the US government launches a wave of trade protectionism and anti-globalization, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative is ushering in broad space for consolidation and development. The initiative is expected to become an important cornerstone in exploring global problem-solving solutions to address climate change, eliminate hunger and poverty, and at the same time improve the productivity level of developing countries.

Convey talents and technology to the world

Pires said that in addition to physical investments such as railways and hydropower stations, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has also contributed to the joint construction of the country to train qualified workers. Chinese universities welcome thousands of students from all over the world to study knowledge in China. For example, Nanjing Agricultural University has master's students from Afghanistan, Egypt, Bangladesh and Morocco who bring the knowledge they have learned back to their respective countries.

In addition, companies are also actively involved. Huawei ICT Academy is one of them. It is a global project that includes the entire process of talent training, covering the entire process from developing certification courses recognized by the employment market to training teachers, configuring laboratory environments, talent certification to final employment.

In the future, with the increasing demand for qualified talents and China occupies a favorable position in the field of artificial intelligence, the scope of technical cooperation will continue to expand.

Pirez believes that China is developing important innovations and applications for agricultural development, prevention and control of desertification, and building smart cities that can withstand extreme climate events. The new round of "Belt and Road" construction should cover these aspects.

Provide a point of fit for China-Pakistan cooperation

Pires said that the heads of China and Pakistan reached a consensus in November 2024 and May this year, respectively, and promised to promote the docking of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative with Brazil's "New Growth Acceleration Plan" and "New Brazilian Industry" and find points of cooperation.

Brazil is currently promoting bidding for multiple infrastructure projects, jointly undertaken by Brazil and the Chinese government, and Chinese companies can participate. Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturing companies are investing in Brazil and have created new competitive standards in the Brazilian domestic market, especially in the electric and hybrid vehicles. Chinese products use a large number of embedded technologies and are priced much lower than multinational companies in Europe, the United States and Japan.

Pirez believes that China-Pakistan scientific and technological cooperation needs to be deepened and meticulous. There must be detailed plans that go deep into the university and research institutions. This is especially important from the Brazilian side. The China-Pakistan Earth Resources Satellite Project launched in 1988 is worth learning. The project has a stable team and a sufficient budget to conduct joint research and has achieved fruitful results. This iconic cooperation case should become a model of China-Pakistan scientific and technological cooperation.