A consortium of Chinese companies has been awarded the contract to construct Latin America’s longest cable-stayed bridge, a major infrastructure project in Brazil connecting Salvador and Itaparica. The Salvador-Itaparica Bridge is expected to be completed by 2031 and will span 46.8 kilometers, including a 12.4-kilometer crossing over the Bay of All Saints on the Atlantic coast. A central section of the bridge will feature a 682-meter cable-stayed span supported by steel cables and vertical towers.

The project involves a public-private partnership that includes China Communications Construction and China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC). A piling ship, essential for driving structural columns deep into the seabed, was dispatched from Jiangsu province by a CRCC subsidiary to the construction site. The ship’s journey is anticipated to take approximately 45 days. In addition to building the bridge, the consortium will also operate and maintain adjacent highway infrastructure, according to Brazilian media reports.

Analysts note that Brazil represents a strategic and politically favorable environment for Chinese contractors, who have previously engaged in infrastructure projects involving power transmission, ports, and telecommunications across the country. Evan Ellis, a research professor at the US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute, highlighted Brazil’s vast internal market and existing investments as factors that make the nation an attractive partner for China’s overseas infrastructure ambitions.

However, the political landscape in Brazil could shift following the October 25 presidential runoff election. Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faces Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently imprisoned. Flavio Bolsonaro has signaled intentions to realign Brazil’s diplomatic and economic ties closer to the United States, potentially complicating ongoing and future Chinese investments. He has pledged to provide the US administration with access to Brazil’s rare earth minerals, which play a crucial role in reducing American dependence on Chinese supply chains.

Chinese involvement in large-scale infrastructure extends beyond Brazil, with notable projects such as the Chacay Megaport in Peru and the Coca Codo Sinclair Dam in Ecuador further underscoring China’s growing footprint in Latin America’s development sector.