Brazil, China expand bilateral ties during President Xi Jinping's state visit Planalto

Elevate the global strategic partnership to the level of a Sino-Brazil community with a shared future for a fairer world and a more sustainable planet and establish cooperation for the next 50 years in areas such as sustainable infrastructure, energy transition, artificial intelligence, digital technology. economy, health and aerospace. This is one of the main results of the meetings, agreements and partnerships consolidated following the state visit of the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, to Brazil. President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva received the Chinese leader on Wednesday, November 20, at the Alvorada Palace in Braslia.

As part of this visit, nearly 40 international acts were signed in areas such as trade, agriculture, industry, investment, science and technology, communications, health, energy , culture, education and tourism.

Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, President of the Republic

Full text of President Lula's speech

Full text of the measures adopted during the state visit(available in Portuguese)

As part of this visit, nearly 40 international acts were signed in areas such as trade, agriculture, industry, investment, science and technology, communications, health, energy , culture, education and tourism, indicated President Lula during his statement to the press. .

The official partnership between the two countries dates back 50 years. It has fostered productive relationships within international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and groups such as the G20 and BRICS. Lula stressed that this meeting further strengthens the strategic partnership between Brazil and China to champion global governance reform and promote a more democratic, equitable and environmentally sustainable international system. President Xi shares these views.

As the two largest developing countries in their respective hemispheres, China and Brazil must proactively shoulder the great historical responsibility of safeguarding the common interests of the countries of the South, promoting a more just and equitable international order. We will deepen cooperation in priority areas such as economy and trade, finance, science and technology, infrastructure and environmental production, and strengthen cooperation in emerging areas such as energy transition, economic digital technology, artificial interaction and green mining,” Xi Jinping said in his statement.

SYNERGIES – The meeting agenda also addressed synergies between the two countries' investment and development policies and programs, as well as strengthening bilateral relations and coordination on regional and multilateral issues. “We will establish synergies between Brazilian development strategies, such as New Industry Brazil [Nova Indstria Brasil/NIB]the Growth Acceleration Program [Programa de Acelerao do Crescimento/PAC]the South American integration routes program [Programa Rotas da Integrao Sul-Americana]the Ecological Transformation Plan [Plano de Transformao Ecolgica] and the Belt and Road Initiative [Iniciativa Cinturo e Rota]”, declared the Brazilian president.

WORKING GROUP– Lula also assured that, for the implementation of the agreements, a Task Force on Financial Cooperation and another on Productive and Sustainable Development would be created. These working groups will present priority projects within two months, in addition to continued efforts to follow up on the Mercosur-China dialogue and strengthen cooperation in investment areas.

A BETTER WORLD According to the Chinese leader, now is the time for the two countries to work together in pursuit of development, cooperation and justice rather than poverty, confrontation and hegemony, thereby building a better world. The Brazilian president highlighted the Chinese government's support for the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, officially launched two days ago at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. More than 80 countries have already joined this initiative. “China was one of the first partners in this endeavor to restore the dignity of the 733 million people suffering from hunger in the world in the 21st century,” Lula stressed.

QUEST FOR PEACE– Another topic discussed at the meeting was the end of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Lula recalled that the planet could not face the climate crisis without peace, another objective shared with China. Chinese interest in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, proposed by Brazil to finance the preservation of these biomes, confirms that there are effective alternatives to finance sustainable development.

UKRAINE AND PALESTINE – Xi Jinping stressed that only when there is a shared, cooperative and sustainable vision of security will it be possible to pave the way for lasting peace. China and Brazil adopted a joint agreement on a political solution to the Ukraine crisis and established the Group of Friends of Peace on the Ukraine Crisis, along with other Southern countries. We must unite more voices in favor of peace and seek to make a political solution possible. Regarding the Middle East conflict, the Chinese president said the focus should be on Palestine. This is the root cause. We call for an immediate ceasefire,” the Chinese leader reiterated.

AUTHORITIES – Several authorities participated in the meeting, including Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Ministers Rui Costa (Chief of Staff), Fernando Haddad (Finance), Mauro Vieira (Foreign Affairs), Carlos Fvaro (Agriculture and Livestock), Alexandre Silveira (Mining and Energy), Juscelino Filho (Communications), Luciana Santos (Science, Technology and Innovation) and Simone Tebet (Planning and Budget), in addition to the special advisor Celso Amorim, BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante, Central Bank President-designate Gabriel Galpolo, Brazilian Ambassador to China Marcos Galvo and former President Dilma Rousseff, current President of the BRICS NDB bank.

HONORS – President Xi Jinping was received with military honors by President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja da Silva. He attended a concert of the Planalto military command and inspected the troops of the Presidential Guard. The two leaders held small and extended meetings to discuss measures to strengthen ties between the countries. After the signing ceremony, a lunch was offered at the Alvorada Palace. A dinner will take place in the evening at the Itamaraty Palace to close the official visit. President Xi will leave on Thursday, November 21. This is his second visit to Brazil, the first having taken place in 2014, when he was received by the president at the time, Dilma Rousseff.

HISTORY – The visit of Chinese leaders to Braslia reinforces the success of diplomatic relations between Brazil and China, whose trade flows have increased more than 17 times since the first visit of President Lulas to China in 2004. This strategic relationship has proven essential for both countries. The Asian giant continues to be the top destination for Brazilian agricultural products, with record exports of $60.24 billion in 2023, an increase of $9.53 billion compared to 2022.

PARTNERSHIP– Among the top ten agricultural products exported by Brazil in 2023, China was the first destination for eight of them. Besides soybeans, the list includes corn, sugar, beef, chicken, cellulose, cotton and fresh pork, contributing to China's food security.

TRADE– In 2023, bilateral trade reached a record $157.5 billion, with an unprecedented Brazilian surplus of $51 billion. Brazilian exports totaled $104.3 billion, surpassing combined sales to the United States and the European Union (EU). Since 2009, China has been one of Brazil's main sources of foreign investment, ranking fourth among destinations for Chinese overseas investment. Chinese companies have participated in tenders for infrastructure projects and have been partners in projects such as the construction of hydroelectric plants and railways, representing job creation, more income and sustainability for Brazil.

DIVERSIFICATION – Brazil hopes to diversify the profile of bilateral cooperation, seeking new areas at the knowledge frontier, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and renewable energies (fight against climate change and transition to energy clean, notably wind, solar and biomass). Furthermore, there is interest in expanding links between universities through student and researcher exchanges.

LULA IN CHINA– President Lula made his third state visit to China in April 2023. The meeting resulted in the most comprehensive joint statement from Brazil and China to date, covering cooperation in various areas ranging from economic , from trade, food security and space cooperation to international issues, such as the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the multidimensionality of shared interests. During this trip, 15 government acts were signed and 32 trade agreements were announced in areas such as renewable energy, automotive industry, agribusiness, green credit lines, technology. information, health and infrastructure. Nine other instruments were signed between Brazilian and Chinese states, entities or companies. In the area of ​​the environment, a joint declaration was adopted to combat climate change.