Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi came to the Americas after his four-nation Africa trip, holding two days of productive meetings in Brazil Jan. 18-19, before he headed to Jamaica today. Brazilian and Chinese reports on Wang’s meetings in Brazil concur that both nations seek to deepen their relationship not only for the benefit of their national economies, but in order to strengthen the voice of developing countries in securing world peace.
During his visit, Wang met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and co-chaired with him the fourth China-Brazil Foreign Ministerial Level Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue, met separately with President Lula’s Chief Policy Advisor Celso Amorim and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and then met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva before leaving Brazil.
President Lula and Wang discussed the international situation. Wang told the President that China “firmly supported Brazil in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs,” Xinhua reported. Intriguingly, Planalto,(the Office of the Presidency) reported that among their topics of discussion were “joint actions and projects in Africa.” Wang also proposed that they explore how cooperation between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) could be strengthened, in order to help the region unite and strengthen itself, “so as to move toward modernization together, and promote a just and reasonable international order.”
In his meeting with Wang, Amorim described the Brazil-China comprehensive strategic partnership as “an important balancing factor on the international arena, which is conducive to world peace and stability,” in a time of world chaos, Xinhua reported. When the two Foreign Ministers met, they discussed how to increase their coordination in the BRICS, the G20, the WTO and at the UN.
