Although China and Brazil share a relationship dating back more than 200 years, even a casual observer would know there was a significant gap in the late 20th century.
From the 1940s both countries were busy forging their own paths and largely ignored what the other country had to offer. Formal diplomatic relations started in 1974, but the Brazilian business community was frustrated at the slow pace of development in trade relations.
In 2009 Brazil climbed eight places to rank 56th out of 133 countries in overall competitiveness as other BRIC countries either climbed more slowly or even dropped significantly, as was the case for Russia.
Brazilian Minister for External Relations Antonio Patriota acknowledges "there is a very visible and mutually beneficial relationship between Brazil and China - but we would like to make this more sophisticated so that we can both benefit even further".
Working with Chinese investors and clients to facilitate tradeBrazil's Columbia Trading company, which has a presence in over 40 countries, deals in commodities and manufactured products, exporting coffee, sugar and cotton from Brazil and importing manufactured products from China.
Decade's growth beats all forecastsThe warning signs of some economic overheating are there, but experts are insisting that Brazil is undergoing a positive expansion, not a credit bubble.