State-Society Trust in Sino-Brazilian Agriculture

Abstract

As Chinese cities edge toward projections of one billion residents by 2025, they are generating unprecedented demand for food. Ambitions to meet this demand with domestic production are still far from reality, prompting Chinese agriculture enterprises to buy and invest overseas. This article examines the consequences for Brazil, which in 2013 provided 45 % of China’s soybean imports. It finds that diverging traditions of state-society trust have provoked Brazilian uncertainties about the objectives and management practices of investing Chinese actors. It concludes that successful “South-South” relations between China and Brazil will require fresh approaches to trust between state and society..