Little China in Brazil

Chinese investment is booming in Brazil, and, according to the news outlet G1, nowhere is that more obvious than in the valley of Paraiba in the state of Sao Paulo. The heavy equipment maker Sany is building its biggest factory ever in Latin America, predicting a boom in business because of the World Cup, the Olympics, and the government’s own infrastructure investment program. Another Chinese firm, Chery, plans to build the first factory for a Chinese automaker in Brazil. Some 60 employees in the Sany factory were sent to China for training and to experience the “culture of the company.” Apparently they’ve returned with a few phrases in Mandarin to help them communicate with the technicians sent from China to oversee construction. The city of Sao Jose dos Campos, where the factories are under construction, estimates that 10,000 Chinese already live there.