Mayor of São Paulo highlights host to China and partnership in electric buses

In an interview with the Xinhua agency, the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes, stressed the strong relationship of the state capital with China and the role of Chinese companies in the transition process to a less polluting bus fleet. According to him, the city is determined to follow the Chinese example in the use of electric vehicles for public transport.

“We are proud of our advances in sustainability, especially the preservation of springs, parks and air quality,” he said. He pointed out that, with more than 12,000 buses in operation, the municipal system accounts for 55% of CO₂ emissions. “We already have more than 700 electric buses, many from China. We no longer authorize the purchase of diesel vehicles. Replacement with non -polluting models is already mandatory by law,” he explained.

Nunes also praised the presence of the Chinese community in São Paulo. “They feel welcomed here as if they were in their home country. The city recognizes work power, working capacity and contribution to our development,” he said. He stressed that São Paulo offers legal certainty, fiscal responsibility and solid infrastructure, points considered essential to attract and maintain investments.

According to the mayor, São Paulo is today a fertile environment for entrepreneurs. The city has registered the creation of over 700,000 new companies in the last four years, in addition to the migration of 70,000 companies from other states. “We have the lowest unemployment rate since 2012, with 5.8%, and more than 1.2 million individual microentrepreneurs. Here the risk of undertaking is lower than in any other place in Latin America,” he said.

The interview took place shortly before Nunes’ visit to China, which aimed to seek cooperation in new technologies and expand bilateral partnerships, especially in areas such as public safety and urban mobility.