Lula heads to China to strengthen bilateral relations
Brasilia, Apr 11 (EFE).- Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was traveling to China on Tuesday for a state visit aimed at tightening bilateral relations and fostering investments.
Lula, accompanied by a large delegation made up of ministers, businessmen, governors and congressmen, called the strategic trip to the Asian giant one of the most important in his third term, which kicked off on January 1.
The visit, which begins on Wednesday, was initially scheduled for the end of March but was postponed until April 11 after Lula was diagnosed with bacterial and viral bronchopneumonia.
Lula, 77, will be in Shanghai on Thursday to attend the inauguration ceremony of former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff as the head of the New Development Bank (NDB), as well as to meet with businessmen.
He then will meet with chief of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Zhao Leji and prime minister Li Qiang in Beijing before meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday.
“The program will have an open meeting, a ceremony for the signing of bilateral agreements and then a closed bilateral meeting. After that, there will be a gift exchange ceremony, photo registration and, finally, an official dinner,” the Brazilian government said.
Some 20 agreements between Brazil and its main trade partner since 2009 are expected to be signed during the visit, which will be covering technology, development, and energy transition, among others.
Lula is expected to meet the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi on Saturday after he concludes his China visit.EFE
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