beyondbrics

So apparently this Brazil place is worth having a look at?

Everyone and their grandmother may be investing in Brazil nowadays but finally the UK foreign secretary, William Hague, has come to see what all the fuss is about.

Hague arrived in Brasília on Wednesday to meet with Brazil’s foreign minister, Antônio Patriota, and Defence Minister Celso Amorim.

On Thursday, he is off to sunny Rio to see the state governor Sérgio Cabral and Navy Commander Admiral Julio Soares de Moura Neto.

Given that Brazil’s economy is now estimated to have overtaken the UK’s, some may wonder why the British government has taken quite so long to cosy up to the country.

After all, investors themselves have not been so shy. Bilateral trade totalled $8.57bn in 2011 and the UK is now the 6th largest investor in the country.

But it looks like Hague is now trying to make up for lost time. This from Brazil’s foreign ministry on the agenda for the next two days:

The meeting between Foreign Secretary William Hague and Minister Patriota will mark the beginning of a strategic dialogue between Brazil and the United Kingdom in areas such as disarmament and non-proliferation, United Nations Security Council, Middle East and Northern Africa, human rights, poverty and hunger eradication and sustainable development. They will also address possible ways of enhancing partnerships in areas such as energy, education, technology and innovation. There is potential for expanding bilateral cooperation on the “Science without Borders” Program, including by strengthening the participation of the private sector. Bilateral cooperation on the organization of mega sporting events will also be addressed. The Foreign Ministers will also address global affairs, such as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the international financial crisis and the reform of political and economic governance institutions.

No time for the beach then?

Related reading:
Brazil file, beyondbrics