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On an official visit to China, the Brazilian president, Lula da Silva, met in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. From there, he closed ties with the Asian giant and sent a forceful message to the United States, whom he accuses of “inciting war” in Ukraine. This Saturday, Lula flies to Abu Dhabi, where he will begin a new official visit at the invitation of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Con AFP
“The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace, the European Union needs to start talking about peace.” With these statements, Brazil shows its good diplomatic and commercial harmony with Beijing. Now he must find balance in his delicate but close relations with Washington. “We don’t need to break up and fight with anyone to improve. Brazil has to look for its interests. Brazil has to make possible agreements with all countries,” Lula justified.
“Peace interests everyone.” Lula thus believes that only through dialogue can Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky be convinced to reach a ceasefire. Brazil also wants to show the world that it is “back” on the international political scene. One of the objectives of this visit is to establish a group of countries that would work for a negotiated resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, although no further details about this plan have been released. “You have to be patient.”
It should be remembered that, unlike the great Western powers, neither Brazil nor China imposed sanctions on Russia since the start of the war.
From the most populous city in China, the Brazilian president also criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and questioned the dollar as a global currency. Xi Jinping, for his part, predicted that his country’s economy “will open up new opportunities for Brazil and countries around the world.”
Da Silva was also able to meet with Huawei, the Chinese technology giant that is on the US blacklist for being “a threat to national security.”
From China to United Arab Emirates
After his visit to China, President Lula travels this Saturday to Abu Dhabi, where he will have dinner with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. The agenda seeks to discuss “issues such as trade, investment, energy transition, climate change and global security,” according to a statement from the Brazilian Foreign Ministry.
Bilateral trade between the Emirates and Brazil amounted to 5,768 million dollars in 2022, an increase of 74.5% compared to the previous year, with a surplus of 740 million in favor of Brazil, according to official Brazilian data. Brazil mainly imports oil and hydrocarbon derivatives.
The United Arab Emirates, which also adopted a position of neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, hosts a significant number of Russian businessmen seeking to avoid sanctions, mainly in Dubai.