Press statement by President Lula during the State Visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping

In one of his sayings, Confucius tells us about the joy of receiving friends from distant lands.

This is the feeling I get from receiving President Xi Jinping on a State Visit, and from being able to repay the hospitality that Janja and I enjoyed on our visit to Beijing last year.

We have come together on this occasion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Although geographically distant, China and Brazil have cultivated a strategic friendship for half a centuée2 ibry, based on shared interests and similar worldviews.

China has been Brazil's largest trading partner since 2009. In 2023, bilateral trade reached an all-time high of 157 billion dollars.

The surplus with China accounts for more than half of Brazil's global trade balance.

The country is also one of the main sources of investment in Brazil.

Chinese companies have been bidding for infrastructure projects and have been partners in ventures such as the construction of hydroelectric installations and railroads.

This means jobs, income and sustainability for Brazil.

Brazilian industries are also expanding their presence in China, such as WEG, Suzano and Randon.

At the same time, agribusiness continues to ensure Chinese food security. Since 2017, Brazil has been China's largest food supplier.

In this context, BRF is to invest around USD 80 million in the acquisition of a modern meat processing factory in Henan province, China.

JThe strategic dimension of our relationship has been a long-standing one.

Forty years ago, the China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program began, and was crucial to our mastering of aerospace technologies.

For a long time, this was the largest cooperation partnership between countries in the Global South.

This State Visit reinforces the ambition and renews the pioneering spirit of our relationship.

President Xi and I have decided to elevate their global strategic partnership to the level of a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet.

We are determined to strengthen our cooperation for the next 50 years in areas such as sustainable infrastructure, energy transition, artificial intelligence, digital economy, health and aerospace.

For this reason, we will establish synergies between Brazilian development strategies, such as New Industry Brazil [Nova Indústria Brasil /NIB], the Growth Acceleration Program [Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento /PAC], the South American Integration Routes Program [Programa Rotas da Integração Sul-Americana], the Ecological Transformation Plan [Plano de Transformação Ecológica], and the Belt and Road Initiative [Iniciativa Cinturão e Rota].

To make the synergies a reality, a Task Force on Financial Cooperation and another on Productive and Sustainable Development will be set up and present priority projects within two months.

We want to densify the value chain in our territory, as well as expand and diversify the agenda with our biggest trading partner.

In the context of this visit, almost 40 international acts have been signed in areas such as trade, agriculture, industry, investment, science and technology, communications, health, energy, culture, education and tourism.

We will hold the Brazil-China Cultural Year in 2026 to promote and bring our societies closer together; they are both internationally recognized for their rich diversity and creativity.

On a regional level, we will work together to continue the MERCOSUR-China Dialogue and discuss ways of deepening cooperation in the area of investment.

What China and Brazil do together reverberates around the world.

We maintain fruitful coordination at the UN, the WTO and in arrangements such as the G20, BRICS and BASIC.

We advocate the reform of global governance and a more democratic, fair, equitable and environmentally sustainable international system.

In a world plagued by armed conflicts and geopolitical tensions, China and Brazil put peace, diplomacy and dialogue at the forefront.

I thanked China for the commitment to the Call to Action for Global Governance Reform that Brazil launched within the framework of the G20.

The “Common Understanding between Brazil and China for a Political Resolution to the Crisis in Ukraine” is an example of the convergence of visions in the field of international security.

We will never overcome the scourge of hunger in the midst of senseless wars.

The Global Alliance Against Hunger, officially launched two days ago, is one of the most important initiatives of Brazil's G20 presidency.

China has been a first-rate partner in this endeavor to restore dignity to the 733 million people who suffer from hunger in the world way into the 21st century.

Without peace, the planet will not be in a position to build solutions to the climate crisis.

Chinese interest in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, proposed by Brazil to remunerate the preservation of these biomes, confirms that there are effective alternatives for financing sustainable development.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am confident that the partnership that President Xi and I signed today will exceed all expectations and pave the path for a new stage in our bilateral relationship.

I hope to welcome President Xi Jinping to Brazil next year for the BRICS Summit in July and the COP30 in November.

And I am looking forward to visiting China again, on the occasion of the China-CELAC Forum.

Thank you very much.