Xi, Lula pledge deeper China-Brazil strategic partnership

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties, enhancing strategic coordination on regional and global issues, and advancing cooperation within BRICS and other multilateral forums during a telephone conversation.

President Xi said China was ready to further strengthen bilateral and multilateral strategic coordination with Brazil, noting that the two countries had made significant progress in building a China-Brazil community with a shared future and aligning their development strategies.

He said the partnership had not only promoted the development of both countries and improved the well-being of their peoples but had also contributed to stability amid an increasingly uncertain international environment.

Highlighting that 2026 marks the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and the launch of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), Xi said Beijing was committed to maintaining the positive momentum in relations as Brazil also entered an important political phase.

The Chinese president stressed that, as leading members of the Global South, China and Brazil should continue to uphold international fairness and justice, support reforms in the global governance system, and work together to advance the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation.

Xi also reaffirmed China's support for Brazil in safeguarding its sovereignty and independence, opposing external interference, and contributing to regional and global peace and stability.

President Lula welcomed the growing momentum in bilateral relations, saying the two countries had made substantial progress in building a shared future based on sustainable development and greater global equity.

He noted that bilateral trade had reached a record high, while events held under the Brazil-China Cultural Year had further strengthened people-to-people ties.

Lula said Brazil looked forward to expanding cooperation with China in artificial intelligence, energy and mineral resources, and welcomed greater Chinese investment to diversify bilateral economic cooperation.

He also congratulated China on successfully hosting the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and praised President Xi's vision for promoting open, inclusive international cooperation and global governance in artificial intelligence.

The Brazilian leader reaffirmed his country's commitment to strengthening coordination with China in multilateral forums, supporting the authority of the United Nations, deepening BRICS cooperation, defending multilateralism, opposing power politics, and promoting dialogue as the preferred means of resolving international disputes.