Burning Bridges and Defending the Faith. The Troubled Brazil-China Partnership in the Bolsonaro Era

Abstract

This paper contends that major foreign policy shifts of the Bolsonaro government, which led to a redefinition of Brazil’s foreign policy narrative and international roles, triggered tensions in Sino-Brazilian relations. The main theme of Brazil’s recent troubled partnership with China is explored by scrutinizing ideational underpinnings of Brazil’s foreign policy. Therefore, emphasis is placed on the modifications of discursive self-articulation implemented by the country’s foreign policy elites with a particular focus on a new understanding of the West and Brazil’s western sense of belonging. A redefined self-conception, resulting in the embracement of the roles of a faithful ally of the United States and defender of the faith has not failed to impact Brazil’s cooperation with the challenger of the liberal world order, China. The analysis of Brazil’s recent external activism is anchored in role theory and builds on a constructivist approach to foreign policy analysis (FPA).