As the South American nation attempts to ride a wave of Olympics-related economic activity toward long-term growth, with a stress on world-class infrastructure, the local market share of Chinese companies is expected to increase.
CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, for example, has provided subway trains for Rio de Janeiro's rail systems. If the trains win praise during the Games, from Aug 5 to 21, the company can expect to receive more orders.
Brazil received a $12 billion loan from the World Bank to help finance infrastructure projects in the run-up to the Olympics. Part of preparations involved orders for 15 subway trains with 90 cars.
CRRC Changchun, a subsidiary of CRRC Corporation Limited, won the business and supplied the rail cars well in advance, so early in fact that some were used to ferry football fans between Rio de Janeiro's central station and the Maracana Stadium during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Wang Huaifeng, chief representative for CRRC Changchun's rail project in Rio de Janeiro, says the new subway trains will play an essential role during the Games this month. They will be used on the city's Line 4, a key infrastructure project connecting the Olympic Village with the Copacabana center.
A subway train typically comprises six cars that can carry a combined 2,240 people, running at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. CRRC Changchun's trains in Brazil are equipped with speed limiters, which automatically sound an alert and slow the train if it goes too fast.
The subway trains are made of A-type stainless steel and have a far more compressive load than that of an ordinary train, Wang says. This means they can ensure passenger safety in the case of any head-on collision with an 80-metric-ton truck running at a speed of 36 km/h.
CRRC Changchun has a technical team of 60 people in Rio de Janeiro to oversee operations ahead of the Games. They will stay there until the end of August. It is the first time a Chinese train maker has provided transportation services outside China for Olympic Games.