This year marks both the China–Brazil Year of Culture and the 40th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Beijing and Rio de Janeiro. Recently, a delegation from the Brazil–China Friendship Association (Rio de Janeiro) and the Copacabana Fortress Band visited Beijing and held a series of exchange activities at Renmin University of China.

Founded in 2011, the Copacabana Fortress Band is composed of young musicians aged 13 to 21. During the visit, the band joined the RUC Student Art Troupe and the Lingxin Yuefu Robot Band in presenting a vibrant youth concert. Chinese traditional orchestral music and Brazilian symphonic music complemented each other on stage, alongside performances featuring keyboard music, symphonies, folk music, Peking Opera, Mongolian dance, solo and choral singing, blending Eastern elegance with South American vitality into a melody of friendship that transcends distance.

“Music, as a universal language, brings people of different cultural backgrounds together. This performance will further bring our two peoples—especially the younger generation—even closer,” said Marcos Galvão, Brazilian Ambassador to China.

At the finale, Chinese and Brazilian youth, accompanied by a robot piano, sang The Sea of Stars and Auld Lang Syne, building a bridge of friendship through music.

At the China–Brazil youth dialogue session, 30 Brazilian young participants and 30 RUC students gathered to share stories of development and cultural insights. 

The delegation also visited the RUC Law School for discussions. Henrique Nóbrega, president of the Brazil–China Friendship Association (Rio de Janeiro), who has visited China many times, also expressed his hope for deeper cooperation: “Brazilian students are very enthusiastic about studying in China, and we encourage more young people to pursue their studies at RUC.”

For decades, RUC has played an active role in promoting China–Brazil exchanges. In terms of talent cultivation, the university has educated a number of Brazilian students who know China well and hold a friendly stance toward it. Eduardo Cavaliere, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, once studied at RUC Law School as an exchange student in 2015. 

In building platforms for exchange, RUC has co-hosted two sessions of China–Latin America Human Rights Roundtable with the China Society for Human Rights Studies and São Paulo State University, and released the report Humanity 2050: Comprehensive Development of People and Society under the China–CELAC Forum framework. It has also partnered with four Chinese and Brazilian universities to establish the China–Brazil Center for Mutual Learning among Civilizations in Rio de Janeiro.

In academic collaboration, RUC has enrolled Brazilian students since 1994 and established stable partnerships with leading Brazilian universities, including student exchange programs and joint academic activities in international relations, economics, and law. It also initiated the World Alliance of Universities in the Humanities and Social Sciences, with Brazilian partner institutions actively involved.

Looking ahead, RUC will continue to work closely with its Brazilian partners to expand youth and cultural exchanges, injecting new vitality into the China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet.