BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday he would invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Brazil and speak on the eve of his departure from the Asian country , with a view to strengthening relations between the two countries.
“I will invite Xi Jinping to Brazil for bilateral talks, to get to know Brazil, to show him projects that we are interested in Chinese investment,” he told state broadcaster Lula. The company said in an interview with EBC, adding that he planned to “solidify” relations with China. With Joe Biden in the White House, Brasilia aims to balance its relationship with its main trading partner with a pragmatic foreign policy despite rising tensions between the two.
“We Chinese want to invest in Brazil to create new jobs and new productive assets,” Lula added.
Lula was originally scheduled to visit China, Brazil’s largest trading partner, in March, but it was postponed due to a diagnosis of mild pneumonia. He will meet with Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang next Friday.
