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Chinese Premier Li Qiang hails ‘best in history’ Brazil ties as he meets Lula in Rio

Talks ahead of Brics summit come as the two founding members of emerging economies group brace for tussle with US over trade, global order

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China has pledged to work with Brazil to unite developing countries, as well as “promote inclusive economic globalisation and equal and orderly multipolarisation”. Photo: Handout
Hayley Wongin Beijing
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has lauded his country’s growing ties with Brazil as at their “best in history”, as both nations brace for a battle with the US over trade and the global order.

Meeting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for talks on Saturday ahead of the Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, Li said the two sides were “working together to build a more just world”.

“The two sides are working together to build a China-Brazil community of shared future in a more just world and a more sustainable planet,” the Chinese foreign ministry quoted Li as saying.

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The Chinese premier is in Rio de Janeiro for the annual two-day summit of the Brics bloc, an emerging economies group of which China and Brazil are founding members.

The bloc takes its name from the initials of early members – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – and has expanded to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran.

Li Qiang and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pose with Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan (far left) and Brazil’s Economy Minister Fernando Haddad after the signing of a bilateral agreement, in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Photo: AFP
Li Qiang and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pose with Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan (far left) and Brazil’s Economy Minister Fernando Haddad after the signing of a bilateral agreement, in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Photo: AFP
The summit, which gets under way on Sunday, is taking place at a critical moment for the international community, with a 90-day suspension of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs set to expire on Wednesday.
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