Brasília: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday officially kicked off his highly expected visit to China, after a brief delay due to his health condition.
Lula arrived in Shanghai late Wednesday to start a state visit that is believed to boost bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including the use of local currencies in trade settlement and the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Lula’s stop in Shanghai, which includes a visit to a Brazilian firm’s newly opened research and development (R&D) and innovation center, underscored that top on the agenda of his trip is not only traditional economic and trade cooperation, but also collaboration in new emerging technologies and the digital economy, observers noted.
Moreover, following a series of high-level trips to China by foreign leaders in recent weeks, the Brazilian president’s trip will also promote true multilateralism and collaboration in various multilateral platforms, particularly under the platform of BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, observers said.
“Good morning. Boarding for China … Ready to follow the agendas?” Lula wrote in Portuguese on Twitter on Wednesday before starting his trip to China, hinting at a busy schedule in the host country. Earlier, he said on Twitter that the journey is “to strengthen relations with our biggest trading partner,” noting that “much needs to be done for a better country.”
While foreign leaders usually start their state visits in Beijing, the Chinese capital, Lula’s first stop is in Shanghai, where he was set to visit the BRICS’ New Development Bank (NDB), some Chinese tech firms as well as the R&D center of Brazilian firm Suzano, according to various media reports and relevant companies. Pablo Machado, president of Suzano Asia for Beyond Pulp Business, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Brazilian delegation will visit Suzano China Innovability Hub located in Zhangjiang Science City in Shanghai on Thursday afternoon.
The Innovability Hub is Suzano’s first R&D and innovation center in Asia. With an investment of over $10 million, it acts as an open collaboration base for various pulp, paper, packaging, hygiene and bio-materials product participants and other stakeholders in China and overseas to drive sustainable development.
“We firmly believe the visit of the Brazilian delegation to China will bring more opportunities for both countries to work together, learn from each other and generate significant value for their people and for the world,” Machado noted.
Lula’s stop in Shanghai also signals a top focus of his trip. “As Shanghai is an economic center of China, Lula’s first stop in the city shows that Brazil places a higher priority on enhancing economic and trade cooperation,” Dong Jingsheng, deputy director of Peking University’s Latin America Research Center, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Lula’s visit to some technology companies in Shanghai demonstrates that Brazil is seeking further cooperation with China in science and technology, Dong remarked. “With the rapid development of new economic engines like 5G and artificial intelligent in recent years, it is no longer enough to rely solely on economic and trade complementarity to meet the needs of both sides,” Dong said.
–The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
