Brazil tops global rankings for Chinese investment

SAO PAULO – Brazil reclaimed top spot globally for Chinese investment in 2025, attracting 10.9 per cent of total outbound capital, followed by the US and Guyana, with 6.8 per cent and 5.7 per cent, respectively, according to data released on Thursday by the Brazil-China Business Council (CEBC).

Brazil received US$6.1 billion (S$7.7 billion) in Chinese investment across dozens of projects, a 45 per cent increase in capital compared to 2024, as Chinese companies worked to diversify their presence in Latin America's largest economy and increase their footholds in the country's clean energy and mining sectors.

Over the past five years, Brazil has alternated between first and fifth place among the world's top destinations for Chinese investment, having claimed the top spot in 2021, CEBC said.

Brazil has a weaker currency, a large consumer market, abundant natural resources, and clean energy, all features that Chinese investors find attractive.

"There are only a few countries in the world today that have all these characteristics," said Tulio Cariello, content and research director at CEBC.

From electricity to fast food

While the electricity sector continued to lead Chinese capital flows into Brazil, mining saw a surge of renewed interest, with investments tripling in 2025.

The automotive sector also stood out, ranking third overall in 2025 and accounting for 15.8 per cent of total investment by Chinese corporations in Brazil.

In recent years, both GWM and BYD have bought factories previously owned by Western automakers, converting them into production hubs for electric and hybrid vehicles. Both companies saw explosive sales growth in Brazil.

Chinese capital has also expanded into information technology, logistics, electronics manufacturing, digital economy services, and fast food.

The production of electronic appliances attracted fresh Chinese investment in Brazil in 2025, for example, with Vivo Mobile launching its Jovi smartphone brand.

"Brazil is a long-term strategic priority for Jovi," said Andre Varga, Jovi's product director, in an interview in March. "It is a market with great potential, still concentrated among a few players, which offers us an opportunity to create differentiation and add value to the consumer."

Chinese investments in Brazil will likely continue to be shaped by domestic policies, particularly regarding the energy transition, as well as external forces, including geopolitical tensions and the global push for decarbonization, according to CEBC.

"We will see the continuation of these projects, and perhaps I would bet on an intensification in the mining sector, in the area of new energies, and also in the industrial sector in general, where we have seen considerable growth," Cariello said.

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