Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that both are on the same side in the defense of the multipolar world order sought by Beijing and that Brazil is willing to be a key player in this. The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where both leaders stressed the importance of a deeper and stronger relationship between the two countries, beyond merely commercial aspects. The Chinese president assured that the ties between the two countries are a diplomatic priority, while Lula affirmed that his country is committed to building closer relations with China and to shaping a fair and equitable international order. The two presidents agreed that dialogue and negotiation were the only feasible ways to solve the crisis in Ukraine and agreed to stay in communication on the issue.
The meeting comes at a time when China is seeking to increase its economic and political influence in Latin America amid growing tensions with the United States. Xi Jinping is on a round of diplomatic appointments aimed at demonstrating that China has begun to take a more active role on the geopolitical chessboard. China wants to show itself to the world as a responsible power, despite the increased pressure it is exerting on Taiwan, but both Brussels and Washington look skeptically at its equidistance in the war slanted towards Moscow. Xi traveled to Russia last month, where he forged ties with President Vladimir Putin and signed a “friendship without limits” two weeks before the Kremlin decided to roll its tanks across Ukraine’s borders.
On the economic front, Xi and Lula presided over the signing of 14 agreements to strengthen cooperation in areas such as renewable energies, the automotive industry, agribusiness, green credit lines, information technologies, healthcare, and infrastructure. Among the commitments signed is the construction of the sixth satellite manufactured between the two nations, the CBERS.