Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has embarked on a two-day trip to China in order to strengthen ties between the two nations and in hope of gaining support for his peace plan in Ukraine. Lula seeks to have the involvement of Brazil, China and other countries in creating a platform for negotiation that would lead to lasting peace in Ukraine. China and Brazil are working in partnership with respect to various areas of trade and investment, with China being the largest importer of Brazilian exports.
In a push to help Brazil turn its back on the losses associated with international relations during the Presidencial term of Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula is working to strengthen diplomatic relations. In exchange, China will be signing more than twenty bilateral agreements with Brazil, discussing areas such as trade, reindustrialization, energu transition, peace agreements and climate change.
The Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce is also making efforts that could benefit the Brazilan economy, evidenced by their quick end to restrictions for Brazilian beef imports following the atypical case of mad cow disease in the earlier months of this year.
Lula’s legacy of international relations is far from fading, as seen in his visits to Argentina, Uruguay, the United States and his most recent, to China. With the addition of Brazil’s newfound interest in the world’s affairs being a part of the BRICS group, Brazil also seeks to mediate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The Brazilian Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, reported that a discreet meeting had taken place in Moscow between Lula’s adviser, Celso Amorim, and President Vladimir Putin. The two discussed aspects of the Chinese Proposal for peace, that Vieira noted shared some aspects in common with the Lula plan, such as the halting of hostilities and negotiation.
Hoping to foster a positive relationship with China, Lula hopes to display Brazil’s positive presence on the international stage – contrasting the lack of international presence during Bolsonaro’s presidency. Despite Bolsonaro’s family causing a string of friction with Chinese foreign relations with their comments, the Brazilian and Chinese sharing a mutual interest in trade will pick up the possible slack and help keep a strong relationship between the two countries.
