Washington signals it wants China kept out of Brazil’s largest port auction
US consul-general Kevin Murakami told port executives the Santos megadeal should not fall into ‘unwanted hands’
A United States diplomat has told Brazilian port industry executives that Washington does not want a Chinese company to win the concession for a major container terminal in Santos, the largest port in Latin America, in the latest sign that the race for one of Brazil’s most prized infrastructure assets has become a front in the broader rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
Kevin Murakami, the US consul-general in Sao Paulo, made the comments on March 5, at an event organised by Grupo A Tribuna, a media group based in the port city of Santos.
According to the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, three business executives who attended said Murakami told the audience the terminal had strategic importance for the United States, particularly in relation to organised crime. That part of his speech was expected.
The consul pressed on, however, touching on the auction itself in terms that reportedly caught his audience off guard. Murakami suggested the facility should not fall into “unwanted hands”, a remark those present interpreted as a warning against a Chinese victory.
No American company is among the expected bidders.
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The US consulate in Sao Paulo initially declined to comment. After Folha de S.Paulo published the story, the consulate acknowledged that Washington has “concerns regarding the participation of Chinese companies in the auction, related to sovereignty, security, competition and strategic leverage”. It denied that any direct pressure had been applied over the outcome.