https://www.scmp.com/rss/300840/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In 1928, Henry Ford decided he would develop the Amazon. The American industrialist needed a cheaper and more reliable source of rubber for the millions of tyres produced by his namesake Ford Motor Company near Detroit, and the South American jungle’s trees held promise. Ford had long believed he manu­factured more than cars. He believed his factories built character, that they civilised the common man. He had tried to launch a project to carry out this vision in Alabama, but faced... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3088624/brazilian-amazon-china-buyer-trader-lender?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3088624/brazilian-amazon-china-buyer-trader-lender?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2020 21:00:13 +0000 Until a massive toxic mudslide wiped-out the local environment two weeks ago, the natural habitat of the Krenak indigenous people was the shores of the Rio Doce ("Sweet River" in Portuguese ). "We fished here, we swam here, we prayed here. The river was our life", said Shirley Krenak, 36, a tribe leader, as she showed dozens of dead fish and shrimps floating in the brown tide of mud in the district of Resplendor . In a desperate and powerful demonstration, replicated since then by other groups,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1884791/rio-dolce-disaster-anger-turns-rage-over-brazilian-fukushima?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1884791/rio-dolce-disaster-anger-turns-rage-over-brazilian-fukushima?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Nov 2015 05:26:32 +0000 The sun shines in Sao Paulo as the helicopter takes off from Campo de Marte’s airport and, soon, the main reason behind the booming demand here for  helicopter taxi services  emerges: thousands of cars are literally stuck at the city’s main avenues, exasperating drivers who spend up to five hours to travel a mere 20km.   “We have all the conditions – horrible traffic, a big city and rich people – to develop our business. When clients call us requesting a service we are able to pick them up in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1853809/latin-america-feels-pinch-economic-uncertainty-chinese-dream-starts-fade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1853809/latin-america-feels-pinch-economic-uncertainty-chinese-dream-starts-fade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2015 11:01:54 +0000 Chinese enterprises in Peru should support each other in expanding their overseas operations, Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday as he continued a tour of Latin America that has seen China sign up to investments worth tens of billions of dollars. Speaking in Lima, Li urged mining and manufacturing companies to coordinate with financial institutions to achieve common development goals, and said Beijing would strengthen its ties with Peru to better facilitate Chinese companies. But his comments -... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1808338/caution-latin-america-over-deals-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1808338/caution-latin-america-over-deals-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2015 17:15:15 +0000 As soon as Li Yan saw the inspectors from the Labour and Health ministries enter her cafeteria in Rio de Janeiro, she knew there would be trouble. "I have been living in Brazil for seven years, and I never had problems. I came here to work", she argued in a fluent Mandarin after the raid on her centrally located snack bar. Officials descended on her premises as part of a crackdown on "urban slavery and human trafficking" launched last week in the Brazilian city. About 80 businesses are due to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1770116/brazil-discovers-dark-side-chinese-migration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1770116/brazil-discovers-dark-side-chinese-migration?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2015 17:00:15 +0000 When Guirà Borba, 27, was hired by Chery in November 2013 he never imagined his Chinese dream would end so soon. "I was happy to join a company which was then building an entire new factory. I was also excited by the idea of travelling to China for training", explained the young assembly operator, referring to Chery's US$400 million car plant in Jacareí, an industrial region located outside Sao Paulo. In December 2013 he travelled with 10 Brazilian colleagues to Ordos, Inner Mongolia, to receive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1764998/workers-protest-conditions-chinas-chery-plant-brazil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1764998/workers-protest-conditions-chinas-chery-plant-brazil?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2015 23:37:29 +0000 Despite its undeniable symbolism, Xi Jinping's first trip to Africa as China's president hasn't brought any substantial change to Beijing's rhetorical approach to the resource-rich continent. In his opening address in Tanzania, Xi drew on the same pompous language used by his predecessors. His speech kicked off with a disarming "my dear friends", he referred to "mutually beneficial co-operation" between China and Africa, and labelled the nature of the bilateral relationship as "sincere... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1204853/has-china-been-friend-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1204853/has-china-been-friend-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 'Business is good in Dubai,' says Fei Zhen Xu, in the back of her Porsche Cayenne, as it roars through the streets of the emirate, weaving around the bases of skyscrapers. The vehicle, driven by an Indian chauffeur, is heading to Fei's place of work, DragonMart, a market three times the size of London's Wembley Stadium and in which she has a shoe store, a handbag shop and a restaurant in one of the venue's busiest corridors. DragonMart, whose silhouette resembles that of a reptile when seen... https://www.scmp.com/article/991724/venturing-capitalists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/991724/venturing-capitalists?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000