BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping told his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that the two countries could set an example of “self-reliance” in a phone call on Tuesday, state media reported.
The two leaders have both sought in recent months to present their countries as staunch defenders of the multilateral trading system – in stark contrast with US President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught.
Xi said China would “work with Brazil to set an example of unity and self-reliance among major countries in the Global South” and “jointly build a more just world and more sustainable planet,” according to state news agency Xinhua.
He also said that “all countries should unite and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism,” Xinhua reported – a thinly veiled reference to US tariffs.
A statement by the Brazilian presidency said that the phone call lasted about an hour, during which time Lula and Xi discussed a range of topics including the war in Ukraine and combatting climate change.
