Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday (26) advocated for accelerating negotiations for a trade agreement between Mercosur and the Asian country. The discussion took place during a telephone conversation lasting more than an hour between the two leaders. In a statement, the Planalto Palace reported that the dialogue addressed the implementation of synergies between the national development projects of the two countries and the expansion of bilateral cooperation. According to the Brazilian government, Lula reaffirmed his administration's commitment to diversifying markets and trading partners. "President Lula stressed that his government remains committed to diversifying markets and trading partners. Both agreed on the importance of accelerating negotiations for a Mercosur-China agreement that includes the necessary flexibilities," the statement said. The conversation takes place a few days after the United States announced new tariffs of 12.5% on imported products from several trading partners, including Brazil. Despite the context, the official statement from the Brazilian government does not mention the tariff hike as one of the topics discussed between the two presidents. In a statement released by Beijing, the Chinese government emphasized that, in the face of "new circumstances and challenges," Brazil and China should strengthen bilateral coordination and work together to defend multilateralism. According to the Chinese statement, the two countries should remain "firmly on the right side of history," playing a more relevant role in reforming the global governance system and defending international equity and justice.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.