摘要：Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the square outside th

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

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Amid global uncertainties, Beijing and Brasília on Tuesday issued a joint statement on strengthening the building of a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet, while jointly upholding multilateralism.

Against unilateralist headwinds, the two countries signed a string of agreements in Beijing this week in a gesture to defend free trade.

"We do not want the supremacy of one country over others. We do not want the supremacy of one currency over others. What we want is for trade to be fair and balanced, and for everyone to be able to sell and buy equitably," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said ahead of his ongoing visit to China.

As important Global South members, China and Brazil face similar development tasks and aspirations, and thus can leverage their complementary economic strengths for shared benefits. The two countries, on several occasions, have signaled their joint will to enhance the alignment of development strategies, explore additional areas of convergent interests and give full play to the complementary advantages of their industrial frameworks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

During Lula's Beijing trip, the two countries agreed to allow Brazil's export of an ethanol by-product used in animal feed to China. Against certain countries' protectionist moves, the Brazilian government is searching for alternative markets and thus pushing to strengthen agricultural ties with China.

After all, as the world's largest economy is turning away from free trade, countries have the impulse to turn to those embracing transactional policies, and China, which has been committed to opening wider to the outside world, is an ideal choice.

Against the backdrop of the volatile international situation, a fair and equitable trading system is in the interest of the two countries. China has long been Brazil's largest trading partner and main export market. In the meantime, Brazil has consistently held the position as China's leading trading partner in Latin America, with their bilateral trade surpassing $180 billion in 2024, according to official data.

The rapid growth of China-Brazil trade relations indicates enormous potential for investments and financial interactions between the two.

To further facilitate their cooperation, central banks of the two countries inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on financial strategic cooperation on Tuesday. A bilateral currency swap agreement was also renewed on the same day. These moves, without doubt, could strengthen cooperation in financing and international monetary policy coordination against unilateral headwinds.

As key forces of the Global South, China and Brazil can also exert greater influence on international affairs via cooperation. "I believe that the Global South is the political novelty of the 21st century. I am very proud of us for getting to where we are. And it is possible to grow even more, because there are many people who want to join the Global South," Lula said.

During Lula's Beijing visit, the two countries issued a joint statement on the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, welcoming recent signals of relevant parties' willingness to engage in dialogue and urging for a greater consensus to achieve a political settlement.

In May 2024, the Chinese and Brazilian governments called for all relevant parties to establish conditions necessary to restart dialogue. In September of the same year, they also launched the Group of Friends for Peace at the United Nations, aiming to unite the Global South countries to continue to play a constructive role in resolving conflicts.

As the current international situation is becoming increasingly complex and tumultuous, China and Brazil have expressed their willingness to jointly strengthen the voice of the Global South in defending free trade, multilateralism and peace. Such unity is what is required in this uncertain world.

来源：中国网一点号