Sino-Brazilian Cooperation Agreement in the space sector as a strategy for acquiring Technological Capabilities
Cooperation between southern countries is a practice that appears in contrast to the more usual model, represented by north-south cooperation, in which northern countries take advantage of the asymmetry that exists in this type of relationship and, thus, provide some type of help to southern countries as long as they follow certain conditions imposed on them. In this way, south-south cooperation is presented as an alternative that aims to help developing countries develop technologically with more autonomy. In this sense, this thesis aims to analyze the possibilities of acquiring technological capabilities by Brazil based on partnerships established with China in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation (CTI). The immediate object of the study is the analysis of cooperation for the production of Sino-Brazilian Earth Resources Satellites through the CBERS (China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) program, celebrated between the two countries since 1988. We start from the hypothesis that the partnership established between Brazil and China contributed to Brazil acquiring the technological capabilities necessary for the development of projects with more advanced technological content than occurred in previous projects. The research starts from the historical review of the implementation of the Brazilian space program, still in the 1960s, reaching the cooperation agreement between Brazil and China, in 1988. Through the case study of the CBERS program, carried out through data collection and interviews with several sector experts, we will analyze whether the agreement enabled the development of technological capabilities in the Brazilian space sector. Greater knowledge of this process should shed light on new possibilities for the execution of strategic partnerships carried out by Brazil with other emerging countries.