CHINA and Brazil decided on Wednesday to elevate their ties to the community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet.

The decision was made during a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Xi is paying a state visit to the country after he attended the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

China and Brazil are two major developing countries in their respective hemispheres, he said, noting that in the past 50 years, they enjoyed a relationship that transcends mountains and seas, and found a right way for major developing countries to get along with each other, one that is based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and amity.

Brazil, Xi said, is the first country to establish a strategic partnership with China, and the first Latin American country to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with China.

In recent years, under the joint strategic guidance of two heads of state, the two countries are increasingly becoming reliable friends with a shared future and positive forces for peace, he said.

The China-Brazil relationship is at its best in history, which has not only improved the well-being of the people of the two countries, but also defended the common interests of developing countries, enhanced the strength and voice of the Global South, and made outstanding contributions to world peace and stability, Xi added.

Xi noted that China and Brazil have also decided to establish synergies between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Brazil’s development strategies. 

He hailed the decision to elevate ties and to align the two nations’ development strategies as another historic moment in the development of bilateral ties, which demonstrates the global, strategic and long-term nature of China-Brazil relations, meets the expectations of both peoples, gives impetus and support to the modernization of the two countries, and demonstrates their resolve to jointly defend international fairness and justice and promote common development of the world.

China, Xi said, is ready to work with Brazil to continually enrich China-Brazil relations in the new era, be “golden partners” who help each other succeed, and keep working toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind and creating a more just world and a more sustainable planet.

Together, China and Brazil will make even greater contribution to the peace and progress of humanity, he added.

For the future development of bilateral ties, Xi called on the two sides to firmly support each other on issues concerning core interests such as sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, be strategic partners of mutual trust and set a good example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and common development for countries in the Global South.

Xi also urged the two countries to strengthen people-to-people exchanges in culture, education and youth to consolidate popular support for the China-Brazil community with a shared future.

He said the two countries should deepen synergies of development strategies, urging them to seize the historic opportunity of synergizing the BRI with Brazil’s development strategies, deepen cooperation in such key areas as economy and trade, infrastructure, finance, science and technology, and environmental protection, and strengthen cooperation in such fields as space, agricultural science and technology, and clean energy.

China prioritizes poverty alleviation in national governance, supports Brazil’s Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) program, and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Brazil on poverty reduction so that the two peoples can live a better life. 

Xi urged China and Brazil to demonstrate their distinctive strength in safeguarding world peace and justice. The two countries should practice genuine multilateralism, make fair remarks and take fair actions, so as to make global governance more just and equitable, he said.

Noting that China highly values Brazil’s international status and influence and supports Brazil in playing a greater role on the international stage, Xi said China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Brazil at the United Nations, BRICS and other multilateral mechanisms, support Brazil’s presidency of BRICS next year, promote high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, and make BRICS voice louder on upholding multilateralism and improving global governance.

Xi also called on the two countries to make distinctive contribution to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

As major developing countries, China and Brazil should take the lead in conducting consultations, promoting global solidarity, jointly addressing global challenges concerning the future of mankind, and strengthening cooperation in such fields as green transformation, sustainable development, climate change, artificial intelligence governance, he said.

Xinhua