Deeper cooperation will benefit the two sides and the wider world, president says during meeting with Lula

President Xi Jinping hosts a welcome ceremony for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva outside the east entrance of the Great Hall of the People, prior to their talks in Beijing, on April 14. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping stressed the increasingly prominent influence of China-Brazil relations, saying that Beijing sees the relationship as a diplomatic priority and will work with Brasilia to bring more benefits to both peoples and contribute to regional and global peace, stability and development.

He made the remarks on April 14 when meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the second leg of Lula’s four-day state visit to China, which ended on April 15. The Brazilian president earlier visited Shanghai, where he met with representatives from Chinese enterprises.

China and Brazil are the two biggest developing countries and emerging markets in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and the two countries share extensive common interests as comprehensive strategic partners, Xi said.

According to Xi, China always views and develops relations with Brazil from a strategic and long-term perspective. As Beijing pursues high-quality development and high-level opening-up on the new journey of Chinese modernization, it is believed that this will offer more opportunities for Brazil and the rest of the world, he said.

Xi called on the two sides to maintain frequent strategic communication, deepen practical cooperation and carry out more people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

He said it is necessary for China and Brazil to consider each other as important development partners, support each other in taking their respective development path that meets domestic conditions and to jointly support developing countries in strengthening solidarity and coordination.

Xi said that China firmly supports Latin American and Caribbean countries solidifying the good momentum of peace, stability, independence and solidarity, and that it backs the region in pushing for integration and playing a bigger role in international affairs.

Faced with changes unseen in a century, China and Brazil must stand on the correct side of history, practice true multilateralism and promote a more equitable and fair system of global governance in order to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

China is ready to strengthen strategic coordination with Brazil on global issues of common concern within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, BRICS and G20 and jointly tackle climate change, Xi said.

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. Xi urged the two nations to tap the potential of cooperation in areas such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure and aerospace, and explore cooperation in the green economy, the digital economy and clean energy while making steady efforts to push forward existing major cooperation projects.

China welcomes more quality Brazilian products to enter the Chinese market and is willing to actively discuss the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Brazil’s reindustrialization strategy, he added.

Xi pledged China’s firm support for Latin American and Caribbean countries to cement the momentum of peace, stability, independence, solidarity and development, advance regional integration and play a greater role in international affairs.

Lula, who received a grand welcome ceremony before the talks, said that his fourth trip to China underscores Brazil’s enthusiasm for China and the importance it attaches to relations with Beijing.

Strengthening relations with China in all aspects is a strong aspiration shared by Brazil’s legislative body and all sectors of society, he said, as he welcomed Chinese companies to invest in his country.

Noting that both Brazil and China uphold multilateralism and international fairness and justice, Lula said Brazil is ready to work with China to make contributions to developing countries’ efforts to shake off unfair rules and realize more equitable and balanced development.

The four-day visit was Lula’s first trip outside the Americas since he took office for a third term in January. Besides Beijing, he also traveled to Shanghai, where he participated in former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff’s inauguration as head of BRICS’ New Development Bank, visited Huawei and met with Chinese business representatives.

Headquartered in Shanghai, the NDB was founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in 2014. The bank formally opened in July 2015 with the objective to support infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.

The NDB has great potential as “it frees emerging economies from submission to traditional financial institutions”, Lula said.

Following the Lula visit, China and Brazil agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership — featuring openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation.

Experts said the two countries are expected to forge a new future in their relationship, which will bring greater benefits to the two peoples and play an important and positive role for peace, stability and prosperity in their regions and around the world.

Lula’s visit to China highlighted the two nations’ people-centered policies and common approaches to multilateralism in global affairs, said Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira, a former Brazilian tourism minister.

Song Junying, head of the China Institute of International Studies’ Latin American and Caribbean Studies Department, said Lula’s visit demonstrated the strong desire of the two sides for developing bilateral ties and enhancing cooperation.

China-Brazil cooperation, which now involves more and diversified areas, will provide a big boost for the two countries’ economic and social development and also bring more benefits to their peoples, Song said in a recent interview.

China has been Brazil’s largest trade partner for 14 consecutive years. According to the General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade reached $171.49 billion in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 4.9 percent.

Earlier this year, the People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Central Bank of Brazil to establish renminbi clearing arrangements in Brazil, a move that will bolster bilateral trade and investment facilitation.

Wang Lei, an associate professor at Beijing Normal University’s School of Government and director of the BRICS Cooperation Center, said partnership between China and Brazil will help consolidate financial cooperation among BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It will also push BRICS cooperation that is mutually beneficial and seeks common development.

When leaving China on April 15, Lula said he was satisfied with the trip and that he was pleased that the strategic relationship between Brazil and China is improving.

The two nations issued a 49-point joint statement on deepening ties. They agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as poverty alleviation, social development and scientific and technological innovation. They also issued a separate joint statement on combating climate change.

During their talks, Xi and Lula exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and agreed that the only workable solution is to have dialogue and negotiations. All efforts that will help to peacefully solve the crisis should be encouraged and supported, they said, calling on more countries to play a constructive role toward reaching a political settlement. 

After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperative documents in areas including trade and investment, information and communication and poverty alleviation. 

Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, also met with Lula on April 14.

Lula’s visit is historic because it represents a piece of a more complex puzzle in the global order, said David Castrillon, a research professor at the School of Finance, Government and International Relations at Externado University of Colombia.

Countries such as Brazil and France have been calling for a multipolar international order in which no one country can impose its voice and its models on the rest of the world, Castrillon said.

“Therein lies the great long-term importance of this visit.”

Henrique Reis, international relations manager at the China Trade Center Group in Sao Paulo, said Lula’s visit is politically important and shows the world an image of a political partnership between the two countries.

Trade between the two countries is robust and will continue to grow, he said.

About 20 bilateral agreements were signed during Lula’s latest visit, including for the construction of CBERS-6, the sixth in a line of satellites built in partnership between Brazil and China that will help to monitor the Amazon jungle.

China-Brazil relationship has deepened in recent years, and the two countries have now taken an additional step in broadening the foundations of the relationship, Castrillon noted.

During his visit, Lula stressed that Beijing was essential for the creation of the BRICS, and that the relationship between the two countries has the potential to consolidate a new South-South relationship.

For his part, Xi said this is the first year of comprehensively implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

On this new journey China is striving to enhance high-quality development, accelerate the establishment of a new pattern of development and promote a high level of opening-up to the outside world, which will bring more opportunities to all countries, including Brazil, Xi said.

Contact the writers at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn