Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has reportedly landed in China in an effort to bolster diplomatic relations with its largest trade partner. It is also possible that da Silva will push for peace in Ukraine, just a week after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beijing to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to talk sense into Moscow in coming to a peace deal with Ukraine.
Da Silva’s visit to China appears to be yet another move to strengthen the economic and diplomatic ties of non-Western countries. There are five nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – known as BRICS, which have marketed themselves as a united collective that wishes to offer an economic alternative to Western hegemony.
DW reported that these five countries are attempting to act as the representatives of the Global South, proving “an alternative model to the G7.” The informal group known as G7 represents the heads of state of the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, the UK, the US, Italy, and Japan.
During da Silva’s visit to China, he and Xi are expected to sign 20 bilateral agreements during the two-day visit. The Brazilian president is expected to visit Shanghai and Beijing during his time there, ending the trip on Friday when he meets with Xi. The Associated Press reported that the two are expected to discuss “trade, investment, reindustrialization, energy transition, climate change and peace agreements.”
China is reportedly Brazil’s largest export market, purchasing tens of billions of dollars in “soybeans, beef, iron ore, poultry, pulp, sugar cane, cotton and crude oil,” per the AP.
Chinese state media has also mentioned that Brazil is the biggest recipient of Chinese investment in all of Latin America.
China has recently been flying warplanes around Taiwan, an island that the Chinese government believes to be under the authority of the mainland. However, the Taiwanese government does not recognize China’s authority.
The conflict escalated when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited the US last week and had a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. As a result, China flew 42 fighter jets around Taiwan, simulating military drills. Brazil has sided with China in the conflict, claiming China’s authority over the island.
