Xi assures Brazil’s Lula of China’s support in ‘turbulent’ times
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Chinese leader Xi Jinping said China and Brazil should safeguard the interests of the Global South and maintain the role of the UN.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING/SAO PAULO – Chinese leader Xi Jinping assured his Brazilian counterpart on Jan 23 that China would stand by Latin America’s biggest economy and the Global South, and called for both nations to maintain the role of the United Nations, state news agency Xinhua said.
Mr Xi’s comments in a telephone call with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva followed the latter’s criticism of the US attack on Venezuela
Mr Xi said China and Brazil should safeguard the shared interests of the Global South and jointly maintain the role of the United Nations in the “current turbulent international situation”, the agency said.
Mr Lula’s office confirmed the 45-minute call, saying that both leaders “reiterated their commitment to strengthening the United Nations as a path to safeguarding peace and stability in the world”.
US move strokes worries in Latin America
The US three weeks ago seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to be prosecuted on narcotics charges. Since then, US President Donald Trump has proposed a Board of Peace
The US action in Venezuela stoked worries among Latin American countries about the risk of similar interventions by force on their turf, and prompted criticism from the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Britain’s BBC that the US was putting the founding principles of the United Nations, including the equality of member states, at risk.
In his Jan 18 piece, Mr Lula wrote that the future of Venezuela and any other country must remain in the hands of its people.
“In more than 200 years of independent history, this is the first time that South America has come under direct military attack by the United States, though American forces previously intervened in the region,” he said.
“It is crucial that the leaders of the major powers understand that a world of permanent hostility is not viable. However strong those powers may be, they cannot rely simply on fear and coercion.”
Trump’s moves challenge Chinese influence
Mr Trump’s threat to use force to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, has also opened a rift with security allies across the Atlantic.
US bombings and the capture of Maduro challenge China’s influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, where Mr Xi has promised new credit lines and infrastructure investment.
“China is willing to remain a good friend and partner to Latin American and Caribbean countries,” Mr Xi told Mr Lula.
He said a 2024 strategic partnership to align China’s Belt and Road Initiative with Brazil’s plans on farming, infrastructure and the energy transition exemplifies solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries.
China also seeks to help build a China-Latin America community with a shared future, he said.
Mr Lula told Mr Xi that Brazil would move to grant exemptions from some categories of short‑stay visas for Chinese citizens, in reciprocity for a visa waiver measure adopted by China since 2025, the Brazilian government said. REUTERS
