Brazil's Lula to meet Putin and Xi amid global trade war fears
[April 01, 2025] By
GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will meet
with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Moscow and China’s Xi Jinping in
Beijing, two important partners for the South American giant, in May.
The announcement Monday came as the world braces for a global trade war
following U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
The press office of Brazil's Presidency told The Associated Press that
Lula is expected to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9,
marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War
II. The Brazilian leader then planned to travel to Beijing to
participate in the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean
States Forum on May 12.
It will be Lula’s first official trip to Moscow and his second to China
during his third, nonconsecutive term as president. During his previous
administrations (2003-2010), he visited Russia twice and China three
times.
Brazil, Russia and China have developed a close economic relationship
and are founding members of BRICS, the bloc of developing economies
established in 2009 to counterbalance the Group of Seven leading
industrialized nations. Brazil holds the BRICS presidency through 2025
and will host its next summit on July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro.
In January, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a press conference
that his country would host the CELAC forum as an opportunity to take
cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean “to a higher level.”

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Japanese Emperor Naruhito, left, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva pose for a photo at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo,
Thursday, March 27, 2025. (Rodrigo Reyes Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
 China is Brazil’s top trading
partner. In 2024, it accounted for 28% of Brazil’s exports and
supplied 24.2% of the country’s imports.
The United States ranked second, providing 12% of Brazil’s imports
and purchasing 15.5% of its exports, according to Brazilian
government data. In 2024, Brazil recorded a slight trade deficit of
$283.8 million with the U.S.
On Thursday , Lula said he foresees no positive outcome from Trump's
raising tariffs on a wide range of products.
“I am very concerned about the behavior of the American government,”
Lula told journalists in Tokyo while wrapping up a 4-day
presidential visit to Japan. “I am concerned because free trade is
being harmed and I am concerned because multilateralism is
weakened."
President Donald Trump says Wednesday will be “Liberation Day” — a
moment when he plans to roll out a set of tariffs that he promises
will free the United States from foreign goods.
Besides Russia and China, the Brazilian president has scheduled a
trip to Honduras, where he will attend the CELAC summit in April. In
June, Lula will make an official visit to France.
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