Brazil’s Possible Exit from China-Controlled UN Agency May Prompt Others to Exit, Sources Say

Western countries concerned UNIDO being used by Beijing to promote its One Belt, One Road initiative; Brazil representative denies Brazil leaving UNIDO

Li Yong, director general of the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), participates in a UNIDO event in Lima, Peru, on Dec. 2, 2013. Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images

Brazil may hold the Chinese regime at arm’s length if leading presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, an outspoken critic of Beijing, is elected next week, though a senior Brazilian diplomat has denied persistent speculation that his government may withdraw imminently from the China-controlled United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

European Union diplomats based in Vienna had speculated that Brazil, which has been cutting back on commitments to international organizations, would leave UNIDO imminently with a debt.