Comparative Analysis of China's Economic Diplomacy in the Field of Infrastructure Projects in Brazil and Angola

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the central focus of China's economic diplomacy has been the search for resources abroad, especially in Africa and Latin America, to ensure its economic growth. The main tool used by the PRC in the last two decades in developing countries has been the provision of loans for infrastructure construction in exchange for long-term contracts for the supply of resources to the PRC, also called the "Angolan model". However, its application has produced completely different results in the two regions. This study is aimed at identifying the features of China's economic diplomacy in the field of infrastructure projects in Brazil and Angola. The author conducts a case study of the Angolan government’s public infrastructure programme and the Brazilian GASENE gas pipeline project, in which China has actively participated. The study also presents a SWOT analysis of the applicability of the "Angolan model" in Brazil. The author comes to conclusion that the model was not successful in Brazil in its original form, as it needed to be adapted to local economic and political realities.