Trade relations between Brazil and ASEAN: an analysis through the lenses of dependency and deindustrialization

Resumen

This paper examines the trade relationship between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and Brazil through the Marxist perspectives of dependency and deindustrialization. Since the 1990s, Brazil has undergone a deindustrialization process that has increased its reliance on exports of inputs and basic commodities, driven
by the growth and boom of global commodity markets and the actions of central economies. In contrast, the Asian experience has focused on high value-added products and fostering industrialization. Based on the data presented, it is concluded that, as part of the broader process of capital reproduction in a dependent economy, there has been a deepening of Brazil’s
trade dependency on ASEAN countries. Among other factors, this both reflects and exacerbates the deindustrialization process of the Brazilian economy.