March 6, 2024 (EIRNS)—Brazilian President Lula da Silva met March 4 with Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to discuss plans for long-term cooperation and financing of large infrastructure projects. Dilma Rousseff, former Brazilian President, who is now president of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), and Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad also participated in the meeting. Prior to their meeting, the three leaders met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, during which Lula discussed his proposals for reforming the IMF to make it more representative.
According to the government’s Agencia Brasil, Jin made clear that there are no restrictions on the amount of capital the bank can provide to “promote “Brazil’s economic and social development.” As he told reporters following the meeting, “we want large-scale projects,” particularly those involving “connectivity” that will connect Brazil to western South America, to the Pacific Ocean. Lula has put forward his own proposals to promote South American integration and establish alternative trade routes, which he discussed with regional colleagues at the Feb. 25-28 CARICOM summit in Guyana.
