General Tomás Paiva, commander of the Brazilian Army, has an official trip scheduled to China, with the aim of strengthening military ties with the Asian country. During his stay under the communist regime, he plans to meet the head of the Chinese Army, in addition to participating in other engagements being organized in Beijing.
The trip, scheduled for June, will focus discussions on the exchange of information in the cyber sphere. During these meetings, the general will express Brazil’s interest in exploring the possibility of acquiring Chinese heavy ammunition and armored vehicles.
The strengthening of military relations between China and Brazil occurs in the context of Brics, a group originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, which was expanded from 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates .
In 2023, General Tomás made an official visit to India, where the Brazilian Army showed interest in a medium-range anti-aircraft artillery system. He also plans to visit South Africa. Due to the war situation between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow is not on the radar.
The trip to China comes shortly after the announcement of the Brazilian Army’s billion-dollar tender for the purchase of 36 armored howitzer combat vehicles. Although the Chinese company Norinco was among the final competitors, the winner was the Israeli group Elbit Systems.
