Lula and Xi call for political solution in Ukraine

Brazilian President Lula on Wednesday called for “dialogue” to end the the war in Ukraine, during a visit by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to Brasilia which showed the proximity between these two leaders of the Global South.

Red carpet, military honors, national anthems: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, accompanied by his wife Rosangela “Janja” da Silva, has received his Chinese guest with great pomp in his presidential residence in Alvorada.

After a meeting with the latter, Lula praised their “similar world views”. “In a world ravaged by armed conflicts and geopolitical tensions, China and Brazil put peace, diplomacy and dialogue first,” he said.

Mr Xi's state visit comes in a charged international context, as shown by a G20 dominated Monday and Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro by the climate crisis and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

The Chinese president called on Wednesday for a ceasefire in Gaza and to “gather more voices committed to peace in order to pave the way for a political solution” in Ukraine, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

In unison, Lula highlighted the peace proposal for Ukraine pushed in recent months by Brasilia and Beijing, seeing it as an “example of convergence of views on international security.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin had deemed this proposal “balanced,” but it had been rejected by Ukrainian Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky and had not been supported by the United States and the European Union.

Beijing is a major ally of Moscow, and Lula has been heavily criticized in the West for having said in the past that Ukraine, like Russia, had a share of responsibility for the conflict.

– “Golden partner” –

MM. Lula and Xi praised the strategic partnership between their countries, founding members of the BRICS group, whose next summit will be hosted by Brazil in 2025.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on November 20, 2024 © AFP – EVARISTO SA

“China-Brazil relations are at their best level in history” and Beijing wants to be a “golden partner” for Brasilia, the Chinese leader said, according to China new.

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His visit comes as Donald Trump's return to the White House heralds an isolationist shift by the world's greatest power, and an even tougher stance by the United States toward China, particularly in trade matters.

“Xi Jinping is clearly seeking to fill the void that will emerge with the election of Trump, who does not value multilateralism,” believes Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at the Brazilian Getulio Vargas Foundation.

– “Silk Roads” –

(From left) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife Rosangela “Janja” da Silva are welcomed by children waving Brazilian and Chinese flags at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, on November 20, 2024 © AFP – EVARISTO SA

The partnership has its limits, however: unsurprisingly, Brazil has not announced that it will join China's gigantic “New Silk Roads” infrastructure program.

Several South American countries have joined this initiative launched in 2013, which is a central axis of China's strategy to increase its influence abroad.

A consolation prize for Beijing: the announcement Wednesday by the two leaders that their countries will establish “synergies” between this Chinese initiative and Brazilian development strategies.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached more than 160 billion dollars in 2023, but their relationship is very asymmetrical.

The Asian giant is Brazil's largest trading partner, which is its largest supplier of agricultural goods. The South American country is only China's ninth largest partner.

Even though Brazil is one of the few countries with a trade surplus with China, its exports are primarily raw materials, particularly soy. China, for its part, sells high value-added products to Brazil: semiconductors, telephones, cars and medicines.

The two governments signed more than 35 bilateral agreements on Wednesday in the areas of trade, telecommunications, agriculture and industry.

One of them envisages the possible entry into the Brazilian market of the Chinese satellite company SpaceSail, a competitor of Starlink, the company of the American billionaire Elon Musk, which provides internet access in remote Brazilian regions.

Elon Musk has a troubled history with Brazil: his social network X was suspended there this year for 40 days for having ignored court decisions related to the fight against disinformation.

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