A inserção chinesa no setor elétrico brasileiro: Uma Análise à Luz da Teoria da Dependência

Abstract

This study investigates the Chinese insertion into the Brazilian electric sector between 2008 and 2023, analyzing the nature of these investments, their forms of insertion, and the resulting economic, technological, and geopolitical impacts. Employing the critical perspective of Dependency Theory, particularly as formulated by Theotonio dos Santos, the research examines whether these investments contribute to technological modernization and national capacity expansion or reinforce historical patterns of subordination. The central hypothesis is that, despite immediate benefits such as capital inflow and asset modernization, the actions of Chinese state-owned enterprises tend to reproduce asymmetrical relations that limit the Brazilian state's decision-making autonomy and compromise its energy sovereignty within the context of reconfiguring geopolitical disputes in the international system. The study also incorporates Immanuel Wallerstein's World-System Theory to contextualize China's rise as a new hegemonic contender and its implications for peripheral countries like Brazil. The findings suggest that while Chinese investments offer short-term gains, they may perpetuate structural vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding of contemporary dependency dynamics.