Reflexos para a MB: aspectos navais da atuação da China na Namíbia

Abstract

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has increased its presence in various regions of the globe, mainly in countries in Africa and Latin America, initially, seeking natural resources. In recent years, China has changed its stance and started to make direct investments in infrastructure works such as roads, railways, ports and energy projects, establishing strong relationships with raw material supplying countries. Thus, the area of Chinese influence has been increasing and overlapping with the Brazilian Strategic Environment, which is delimited by the South Atlantic, the West African coast countries and Antarctica. Namibia, a country that gained independence in 1991, one of the youngest countries in the world, is located in the southwestern portion of West Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, positioned in the Brazilian Strategic Environment. In this young African country, Brazil, through its Navy, has been conducting the important task of developing the Namibian Navy since 1994. The development of the Namibian Navy meets Brazil's geopolitical interests in creating a safe and stable South Atlantic space. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the actions taken by the PRC and Brazil, in the 2009-2010 cut, in Namibia, in order to understand how the Chinese presence in South West Africa has influenced the relations between Brazil and Namibia, mainly, in matters related to naval aspects. This thesis will help to identify the consequences and the reflexes of the actions of a country endowed with asymmetric Economic Power in relation to Brazil, in Brazilian interest´s area of influence. The research is also relevant for broadening knowledge about aspects of China's geopolitics.