BRASILIA: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia to discuss bilateral ties, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
The Chinese President began a state visit to Brasilia, after attending G20 and APEC summits in Latin America.
Lula hosted a grand ceremony to welcome Xi at the Alvorada Palace, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a post on X.
At the welcoming ceremony hosted by Brazilian President Lula da Silva in honor of President Xi Jinping, a Brazilian singer performed My Motherland, a classic Chinese folk song, in the Chinese language. pic.twitter.com/eX6yQxhgY4
— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) November 20, 2024
Earlier, the foreign ministry said Beijing hoped the visit would strengthen the friendship between the two countries and their peoples.
Ahead of his visit, Xi said he was looking forward to an in-depth exchange of views with his Brazilian counterpart on further enhancing bilateral relations, promoting synergy of the two countries’ development strategies, and international and regional issues of common interest, Anadolu news agency reported.
China is Brazil’s biggest trading partner overall, with two-way commerce exceeding $160 billion in 2023, AFP reported.
The South American agricultural power sends mainly soybeans and other primary commodities to China, while the Asian giants sell it semiconductors, telephones, vehicles and medicines.
President Xi Jinping held talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the president’s official residence in Brasilia.
China and Brazil are two major developing countries in their respective hemispheres. In the past 50 years, the two countries enjoyed a… pic.twitter.com/fQONOmf6Za
— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) November 20, 2024
Since returning to power last year, Lula has sought to balance efforts to improve relations with both China and the United States.
A visit to Beijing this year by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin was seen as paving the way for Brazil to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to stimulate trade.
South American nations that have signed up include Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
