China And Brazil Woo Each Other With Soccer Power
Each year Chinese youth teams send members to a Brazilian academy for 10 months of soccer coupled with regular school lessons, including classes in Portuguese.
A game of soccer is underway beneath a hazy afternoon sun.
At first glance, it looks like any other you might encounter in Brazil, a nation celebrated for its unwavering addiction to this sport.
A group of teenage boys in brightly colored shirts battles for the ball, urged on by a coach who is barking instructions with the ferocity of a drill sergeant.
Look again, though, and you soon spot a difference: Not one of these young and skillful players is Brazilian. They are all Chinese.
China is engaged in a massive drive to try to extend its "soft power" across Latin America by investing heavily on multiple fronts, from oil and gas to as Brazilians call it — is part of the mix.
