Brazil’s Lula to meet Xi and Putin amid global trade war fears

Brazilian President Lula da Silva with the Japanese Emperor Naruhito

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 yesterday [Macau time] 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 aforum as an opportunity to take cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean “to a higher level.”

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. MDT/AP