Competition between Brazil and China in Third Markets: The Case of Portuguese Africa

Observing the economy of Portuguese Africa over the last twenty years, particularly with regard to the expansion of Chinese investment and trade with those countries, this text seeks to analyse the possible consequences for Brazil's economic presence in these territories, considering its previous incursion into the continent and, above all, the renewal of its interests at the beginning of the 21st century. The theoretical framework used here is that of cycles of accumulation and hegemony, embodied in a new reorientation of global investment flows towards China and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the BRICs, a group that includes Brazil. For this new global cycle, new territorial expansions are required, where the nation states of the new centres of accumulation act as promoters. The division of the economic space of Portuguese Africa between the Chinese and Brazilians is included in this perspective.