Global Courant 2023-04-12 01:26:59
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is heading to China for a state visit this week, with talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping expected to focus largely on trade as well as the war in Ukraine.
The 77-year-old Lula had originally planned to visit Beijing last month, but was hospitalized with a bout of pneumonia. On Monday, his office announced that the trip had been reinstated, with Brazil’s aim “to resume its relations with the country that has been its main trading partner since 2009”.
The Brazilian delegation arriving in China with Lula on Wednesday includes businessmen, state governors, congressmen and ministers, who are seeking to sign more than 20 bilateral agreements with China on agriculture, livestock, technology, travel and tourism, among others.
Government figures show that China imported the equivalent of more than $89.7 billion in Brazilian products last year and exported almost $60.7 billion to Brazil, putting the trade value between the two countries at $150.4 billion.
According to the Brazilian presidency, trade between the two countries has “increased 21 times since Lula’s first visit to China in 2004.” Lula previously served two terms as Brazilian president and has already made two official visits to the country.
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