Brazil’s President Lula is on a state visit to China as the leftist leader hopes to strengthen economic ties with China, Brazil’s largest trading partner, and rebuild the South American nation’s standing in global diplomacy.
On the morning of April 11, local time, Lula posted a photo on social media of him standing in front of a plane on the tarmac with Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, saying he was embarking on a journey.
Brazilian President Lula told local media on the eve of departure, “We will strengthen our relationship with China.”
“I will invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to Brazil for bilateral talks to show him projects that we hope will attract Chinese investment,” he added, without elaborating on the timing of Xi’s possible visit to Brazil.
Lula’s visit to China was once postponed because of pneumonia. And two months ago, he also went to Washington, DC to meet with US President Biden.
The Brazilian leader, whose government recently marked 100 days, has been seeking to reset the country’s relations with allies – many of which were damaged under his far-right predecessor Bolsonaro. a severe test.
Experts believe that Lula is also trying to “carve out a unique role” for Brazil in global geopolitics – maintaining ties with the United States while maintaining ties with American rivals including China and Russia.
Lula is expected to lead a large delegation of dozens of political representatives and nearly 240 Brazilian business leaders to China on the 12th of this month.
Lula will attend the inauguration ceremony of the president of the BRICS New Development Bank in Shanghai on the 13th for former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. It should be pointed out that the BRICS countries are composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Lula will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press conference held on the 11th, “President Lula led a large delegation to China for a state visit shortly after his recovery, which fully reflects the visit and bilateral development between China and Pakistan. The relationship is highly valued.”
He also said, “China is willing to work with Pakistan to take this visit as an opportunity to promote the upgrading of mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation in various fields between the two countries, and inject more positive energy into promoting the unity and cooperation of developing countries and jointly coping with global challenges.”
Tensions under Bolsonaro
Relations with China became strained during the administration of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who made anti-China rhetoric during the campaign and later won the 2018 Brazilian election.
Bolsonaro has also been a staunch supporter of America under Trump, who has made rivalry with China a key pillar of his foreign policy during his tenure.
Harold Trincunas, deputy director of Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, commented on the tension at the time in 2020, “This confrontational dynamic clearly deviates from the historical trend of Pakistan-China relations, which is economic and political relations.” Political relationships tend to develop on a deeper level.”
However, Trinkunas also pointed out that “China has a long-term interest in establishing a close diplomatic relationship with Brazil, which is very important to China’s strategy in Latin America and to maximize its global leadership. “
He added that Brazil “also has an important long-term strategic interest in maintaining a partnership with China”.
S&P Global Market Intelligence analysts Elsa Rosales and Alejandro Duran Carret pointed out in a briefing released on April 6 this year that in 2022, the relationship between China and Brazil will Bilateral trade totaled US$150 billion, an increase of 10.1% over the previous year.
Brazil mainly exports iron ore, soybeans and crude oil to China, while semiconductor devices account for the largest share of Chinese exports to the Brazilian market, according to data collated by the Observatory of Economic Complexity at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Earlier this year, China and Brazil also signed an agreement to establish a yuan clearing house, aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment and reducing the dominance of the dollar. This move also reflects the increasingly close relationship between China and Pakistan.
S&P’s Rosales, Duran Carret said talks during Brazilian President Lula’s visit to China were also expected to “cover state cooperation, including enhanced technical knowledge sharing and building satellites to support Amazon conservation”.
According to the authors, “China-Pakistan relations are likely to remain an important part of China’s foreign policy—a policy that emphasizes securing trade routes through signature initiatives such as the ‘Belt and Road’ and building strategic alliances with emerging economies, while Brazil is not yet a full member of the Belt and Road Initiative or the Global Development Initiative.”
ukraine war
Meanwhile, Lula also said he planned to propose mediating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday. Among Western leaders, the proposal has so far been welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“I believe both Ukraine and Russia are waiting for someone else to say, ‘Let’s sit down and negotiate,'” Lula told reporters last week.
His proposed solution could be to return the newly invaded territories, excluding Crimea – an option that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already rejected.
“Lula knows that China is the only country Russia will listen to,” a European diplomat in Brasilia told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
“People are waiting to see if it will get the attention of other countries, such as France and Germany.”