Cyber security was one of the issues raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Brazil’s National Congress. According to China’s leader, the international community needs to work to guarantee the nations’ sovereignty in this area.
“The international community should make a joint effort to build a peaceful, safe, open and cooperative cyber space; and create an international governance system for the Internet that is multilateral, democratic and transparent, in compliance with the principles of mutual respect and trust by means of an efficient international cooperation,” said Xi Jinping in his speech at the Chamber of Deputies, in Brazilian capital Brasília.
Without making any direct references to the surveillance scheme carried out by US National Security Agency in nations allied with the US, Xi Jinping condemned the current management model in the cyber environment.
“Advanced though they may be, Internet technologies must not be used to violate cyber sovereignty, There’s no room for double standards in the cyber arena, in which all countries have the right to defend their own security. It’s not acceptable that some countries should remain safe while others don’t. No country should attain the so-called absolute security at the expense of others,” he pointed out.
Xi Jinping also stressed the key role played by China and Brazil in the world, which has been undergoing major transformations and crises, especially in the economic field, particularly due to multipolarization.
In his view, the two countries should stick to the principles in the Charter of the United Nations and strengthen the collaboration among international mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization, G20 (the world’s 20 biggest economies), and BRICS, with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“As the largest developing countries in the eastern and western hemispheres, China and Brazil, by materializing their own development, should actively fulfill their international responsibilities and focus their efforts to safeguard international justice and promote the development of the international order in a fairer and more reasonable manner,” said China’s head of state.
He went on to note that China has been Brazil’s greatest commercial partner for five years in a row and that Brazil is a key target for China’s investments in Latin America. In Xi Jinping’s opinion, this can be accounted for by the fact that “there is no development model that suits all countries,” so that the two countries must keep searching for new suitable strategies for their particular realities.
Throughout his speech, in an attempt to show friendly relations with the Latin American peoples, the Chinese president also mentioned architect Oscar Niemeyer, novelist Paulo Coelho and Venezuelan leader Simón Bolívar, stressing the need for further unity among developing countries for the pursuit of common interests.
Xi Jinping said he will take part in a meeting with leaders from China, Latin America and the Caribbean on July 17. He also plans to exchange views with colleagues from the region regarding governance experiences, and international and regional topics relevant to all.
Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Brazilian Congress marked the 40th anniversary of the reestablishment of the diplomatic ties between both nations
Extradition
The Brazilian Senate approved an agreement between Brazil and China aimed at accelerating extradition processes. The main topic addressed by the deal is Interpol’s permission to issue preventive detention orders for extradition purposes and engage diplomatic bodies in order to follow bureaucratic procedures. This should make extradition processes faster and more efficient.
The agreement does not include significant changes in matters already settled by international law. It is, for instance, not legal to extradite citizens born in the country receiving the extradition request; and it also not allowed to extradite an individual when the punishment imposed conflicts with the law in the country to effect the extradition. Brazil, for example, would not be permitted to extradite people sentenced to death in China.
Additionally, the country to whom the request is sent may also deny a person’s extradition if the authorities believe that the reason for the request is connected with persecution based on religion, skin color, race, or with other types of human rights violations.
The extradition is optional and may be turned down due to humanitarian criteria, like old age, or a poor health condition.
Since the deal has been approved by the Chamber of Deputies, it is now pending ratification by the presidency.
