Brazil’s Lula arrives in China as Beijing decries ‘bullying’ of Latin America
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in China late on Saturday evening for a state visit as Beijing spoke out against “bullying” of Latin America and unilateral sanctions against countries in the region.
After landing in Beijing, Lula said on social media that “we will be establishing new partnerships and signing cooperation agreements in multiple areas”.
“This is another major step in our friendly and strategically close relationship with China, Brazil’s largest trading partner since 2009,” he said of the five-day visit, during which a gathering of Latin American leaders will be held in Beijing.
China is seeking to improve ties with Latin American countries as it faces off with the US over trade. Top negotiators from the US and China are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland this weekend to discuss tariffs for the first time, but no breakthroughs are expected.
Beijing announced on Sunday that President Xi Jinping would host representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean on Tuesday, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Xi will speak at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) Forum in Beijing.
