Former president Dilma Rousseff received this Sunday (29) the Medal of Friendship from China, the highest honor granted by the country’s government to a foreigner, for contributions to the modernization of the Asian country, the second largest economy on the planet, behind the United States.
Dilma has presided over the New Development Bank (NBD), linked to the Brics group, based in Shanghai, since 2023.
The honor was signed and granted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
“I feel very honored and proud to receive the Friendship Medal from a country that has an ancient history and that today has achieved such important achievements,” said the president of the NBD, according to state news agency Xinhua.
“Hardly at any time in the past a country managed to transform itself in 75 years into the second largest economy in the world, the country that managed to raise the educational level of its people to compete with the levels of developed countries, (the country) that leads today in science and technology and the application of innovations in all fields and areas, specifically in industry”, added the former Brazilian president.
Since 2009, China has been the largest trading partner and an important source of investment for Brazil, which, in turn, is the Asian country’s largest trading partner in Latin America.
In August, Brazil and China celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
