Of Paramont's 800 employees, 100 are Brazilian, and day-to-day business is conducted in English.

ECONOMIST: Brazilians in China

For firms like Paramont, which are already farming out production to distant factories, this is not yet a big problem.

ECONOMIST: Brazilians in China

Ricardo Correa, the owner of Paramont Asia, which sold more than 35m pairs of ladies' shoes last year, moved to China in 1995, prompted by the combination of price pressures in Brazil and a shortage of skills in China.

ECONOMIST: Brazilians in China