Xi highlights solidarity of Global South

President Xi Jinping called for stronger strategic coordination between China and Brazil, and voiced support for the South American country in safeguarding its sovereignty and opposing external interference, during a phone conversation with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday.

Xi noted that positive progress had been made in recent years in building a China-Brazil community with a shared future and aligning the two countries' development strategies.

Such progress has supported the development of both countries, improved the well-being of their peoples and injected valuable stability into a volatile international landscape, Xi said during the call, which lasted more than an hour, according to the Brazilian media.

Noting that this year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, while Brazil is entering a pivotal phase in its domestic political calendar, Xi said China stands ready to strengthen strategic coordination with Brazil at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

The two sides should sustain the sound momentum in building a China-Brazil community with a shared future, he said.

In the face of new circumstances and challenges, China and Brazil, both important members of the Global South, should stand on the right side of history and on the side of civilizational progress, Xi said.

He called on the two countries to play a greater constructive role in reforming and improving the global governance system and upholding international fairness and justice.

The two sides should also promote high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, chart the right course for cooperation, maintain the momentum of unity, deliver more outcomes and write a new chapter of solidarity and self-reliance for the Global South, Xi said.

China highly values Brazil's international standing and influence and supports the country in safeguarding its sovereignty and independence, opposing external interference and contributing to regional and global peace and stability, he added.

Lula said that Brazil and China had made positive progress in building a community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet, with cooperation across various fields advancing rapidly.

He added that bilateral trade had reached a record high and that events held as part of the Brazil-China Cultural Year had further strengthened public support for the friendship between the two countries.

Lula said that Brazil looked forward to strengthening cooperation with China in areas including artificial intelligence, energy and mineral resources. He also welcomed greater investment by Chinese companies to diversify bilateral cooperation and deliver more tangible outcomes.

Brazil stands ready to strengthen multilateral coordination with China, uphold the authority of the United Nations, deepen solidarity and cooperation within BRICS, defend multilateralism and oppose power politics, said Lula.

He added that hot spot issues should be resolved through dialogue and consultation, and that the two countries should work together to uphold international fairness and justice as well as world peace and stability.

The phone conversation took place as Brazil faces growing external tariff pressure. China has said on many occasions that tariff wars serve no one's interests, and that it stands ready to work with all countries, including Brazil, to uphold the World Trade Organization-centered multilateral trading system and defend international fairness and justice.

Leonardo Trevisan, a Brazilian political scientist and professor of international relations at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said in an interview with Xinhua that Brazil could mitigate the impact of the tariffs by diversifying its exports and opening new markets, including in China and the European Union.

Zhou Zhiwei, a Latin American studies expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said closer economic ties with China could provide Brazil with more options to diversify its markets and respond to protectionism.

Zhou said that the leaders' phone conversation highlighted the importance of closer China-Brazil coordination at a time of persistent geopolitical tensions.