In a very warm atmosphere, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva and his wife to Beijing on Good Friday noon Greek time as the BRICS countries strengthen their relations more and more.

In a speech following the meeting between the two leaders, Mr. Xi said that China has placed China-Brazil relations as a diplomatic priority, according to Chinese state media.

He added that Mr. Lula is his good friend and looks forward to deepening relations between the two countries.

However, according to China’s state television network CGTN, there were also “bilateral peace agreements” at the negotiating table between Mr. Xi and Lula, with reference to the war in Ukraine, without any further details. It was only reported that Xi and Lula agreed that a way out of the crisis in Ukraine could be given only through dialogue and negotiations.

The West has repeatedly urged Beijing to put pressure on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine, which German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock, who is also in the Chinese capital, did on Good Friday.

The President of Brazil is in China on an official visit, which began on Holy Wednesday and will end on Holy Saturday.

According to Chinese media reports, a number of bilateral agreements are expected to be signed at the economic, trade and diplomatic levels during the meeting between the two presidents. Cooperation still exists in areas such as science, research, education, etc.

China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner since 2009, with South America’s largest economy heavily dependent on trade and investment from China.

At the initiative of Moscow and Beijing, the links between the economies are not connected with the major Western powers, namely with Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa.

Source: Reuters, CGTN, Xinhua.