November 20th (AMSP/CGTN) – – On Wednesday, Brazil hosted China’s President Xi Jinping in an official state visit to the capital Brasilia. The visit underlines the close ties that have developed between the two countries, especially in recent years.
“Brazil and China share many common beliefs and our partnership holds the potential to benefit humanity as a whole. We have built a solid foundation of trust and the same goes for our two countries. Both President Xi and I are committed to building a more just world. This is a historic moment, and we should seize it to ensure that China and Brazil continue to develop,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told CGTN in an exclusive interview ahead of the G20.
Trade between the two countries continues to strengthen. China is Brazil’s largest trading partner and has been for 15 straight years. In 2023, the bilateral trade volume between China and Brazil reached more than 181 billion dollars.
“We aim to make progress both from a diplomatic perspective and in terms of strategic trade agreements for Brazil. Brazil is heavily investing in this relationship with China today to establish a new standard for this relationship that can further expand markets and positively impact our economy,” Brazilian Secretary of Communications, Paulo Pimenta said.
Brasilia locals also point to the opportunities that have been created through the relationship. “I think it is important to my country to befriend any other country in the world. And I think China is a big economy, and they have a large industry and all of this stuff. I really believe this visit is very good for us. I think with the BRICS and all of this construction of friendship with the Global South, I do hope that China and Brazil can work together to have a sustainable future,” Brasilia Local Taciana Silva Negreiro expressed her hope.
Raphael Capello, a Brasilia Resident, corroborated the same truth. ” I think it is important to Brazil for our relationships, international relationships. We must have good relationships with other countries of the world. It helps us with economic stuff. The investment on the employment here is very cool, it is very important for here,” he said.
The state visit comes as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Both China and Brazil look set to take that relationship another step forward.
amsp/cgtn-abp
CGTN