A Brazilian in China

Everyone knows about the greatness and immensity that is China, everyone has heard or seen stories about this immense country. And here I will share a bit of my experience there, where I was one more Brazilian in China.

I had the honor and privilege of representing FENABRAVE (National Federation of Automotive Dealers), where I held the position of 2nd Executive Vice President, at the CADA (China Automobile Dealers Association) 2016 Convention, in the city of Zhuhai, in southern China, Guangdong province, for 3 days.

I can start by affirming that it was a great experience that made me grow as a professional and also as a human being. Being able to represent Brazil at an international event of this magnitude beside representatives of similar entities from countries such as the United States, England, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, as well as regional entities such as those from the United Kingdom, Europe, and Hong Kong were present, brings to those who read this report the greatness and real importance of being there, under the shield of FENABRAVE, carrying the colors of Brazil.

I immediately realized how professional we are in this area, how our entity is respected and credible, and even some giants of the world economy, such as Germany and China itself, use our institutional experiences as a model. Notably, the creation of a law that protects the category, such as Law 67279 known as the Renato Ferrari law, was an example to be sought by them. Not to mention the organizational and operational structure, in which FENABRAVE aggregates 51 brand associations in its core, making us an example of solidity and representativeness. There was even the case of the representative from Russia, who promised to schedule a specific visit so that we could go to Brasilia and, together with our FREMOB (Parliamentary Front in Favor of Distribution and Urban Mobility) representatives, explain to them our ethical, dignified and transparent procedings within the powers in our Federal capital.

In my speech, I showed the hardships and difficulties of our market, which was facing a huge reduction, leading us towards numbers from 2006. Everyone could perceive the enormous challenge of being a car dealer in Brazil, where we had gone back 10 years in the automotive sector, and 13 years in the truck one.

Leaving the congress, I went to Beijing and Shanghai, and before that, we stayed in Hong Kong. All around we could perceive the greatness of China and, despite the truly insurmountable barrier that is language, I had no doubts about the sympathy and friendliness of its people, most of which were humble and simple. It was easy to perceive the Chinese gigantism, and the certainty that the future held immense prominence for them in the world scenario was consolidated in our minds. I did not witness scenes of misery or extreme poverty, but I do know that somewhere in the immensity of China, it exists.

I can easily affirm that the culture of the disposable and cheap is part of a nation with more than one billion inhabitants, but I can also verify that the robust, durable, and high-quality standards were there in the same proportion. We are the ones with some prejudice against MADE IN CHINA. I have already changed my mind, and I suggest you change yours without fear.

Grandiose first-class constructions, cutting-edge techniques and materials, it was all there, with state-of-the-art machinery, tractors and cranes in abundance. It was inevitable to wonder, how much progress in such a short time. But it was a reality, and still is. I asked some people what China's greatest challenge was, and the answer was unanimous: to bring development, improved quality of life, wealth, and health to every corner of China. But the most surprising thing was the path being taken, which was education: flat, extensive, and comprehensive, which they hope will achieve this social justice. And if they succeed, there will be no more doubts, the giant that is China will be the biggest country on planet Earth.