Brazil's Lula heads to China to boost ties, talk Russia-Ukraine conflict

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has left for an official visit to China aimed at boosting the already deep ties between the Asian giant and Latin America's biggest economy.

The veteran leftist, who is due to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday in Beijing, said he planned to invite Xi to come to Brazil to repay the visit.

"We're going to consolidate our relationship with China. I'm going to invite Xi Jinping to come to Brazil for a bilateral meeting, to get to know the country and to show him projects that will be of interest for Chinese investment," Lula said on Monday evening.

He did not set a date for a possible Xi visit to Brazil.

Lula, 77, was initially scheduled to travel in late March to China, Brazil's biggest trading partner, but had to postpone after coming down with pneumonia.

He will arrive on Wednesday, his office said, and start his agenda with a stop in Shanghai on Thursday for the inauguration of his ally and fellow Brazilian ex-president Dilma Rousseff as head of the BRICS development bank, the group formed by top emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

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Ukraine peace efforts

Lula is keen to reposition Brazil as a key player and deal broker on the international stage, after four years of relative isolation under Bolsonaro.

He and Xi are notably expected to discuss the Ukraine conflict, in which both hope to act as mediators — despite Western allegations that they are overly cosy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

When he meets Xi on Friday, Lula has said he will suggest a proposal to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, an initiative that among Western leaders has only been welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

"I am convinced that both Ukraine and Russia are waiting for someone else to say, 'Let's sit down and talk,'" Lula told journalists last week.

Lula has suggested a peace solution could be the return of newly invaded territory, though not Crimea — an option that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected outright.

For his initiative to advance, Lula needs China to send a message to Russia, said a European diplomat in Brasilia.

"Lula knows that China is the only country Russia will listen to," said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity and adding: "People are waiting to see if it gets some traction from other countries, like France and Germany."

READ MORE: Brazil's President Lula on quest to repair Brazil-China relations

UAE visit  

Lula, who returned for a new term in January after leading Brazil from 2003 to 2010, is seeking to smooth relations with China, after ties deteriorated under his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

In a delicate balancing act, he is also seeking closer ties with Chinese rival, the United States, Brazil's second-biggest trading partner.

His visit with Xi comes after a high-profile White House meeting with President Joe Biden in February.

Lula has some 40 high-level figures with him on the trip, including cabinet ministers, governors and members of Congress.

He will wrap up his trip with a one-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

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