Xi and Lula step up meetings, firming China-Brazil ties with eyes on Trump

BRASILIA: Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will travel to China next month for his third meeting with President Xi Jinping since taking office in 2023, the government in Brasilia said, and a fourth meeting is already planned for July.

The steady pace of bilateral meetings underscores Brazil’s warming relations with its largest trading partner, which a diplomat in Brasilia called “inevitable,” as the world adapts to US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies.

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“The natural path is to look for alternatives. China is one of them,” said the diplomat, who requested anonymity to speak freely, adding that Brazil is also looking to close a regional trade deal with the European Union and boost cooperation among the BRICS group of major developing nations.

“I would call it a risk reduction policy. Today, the relationship with the United States has a high level of risk, so it’s a natural inclination to look for alternatives,” the diplomat said, adding that Brazil and China already share a close relationship.

In Brasilia last November, Xi and Lula upgraded the status of diplomatic relations and struck more than three dozen agreements to cooperate on infrastructure, energy, agribusiness and other strategic sectors.

Lula is scheduled to attend a meeting among Chinese officials and Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Beijing on May 13, according to the Brazilian government. Diplomats expect Lula and Xi to hold private talks there.

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They will meet again in Rio de Janeiro at the BRICS summit in July, with Xi’s attendance confirmed. Xi is also expected to visit Brazil for the United Nations climate summit in November, which officials expect to include some 1,000 Chinese business leaders.