Brazil’s president seeks stronger economic ties with China amid Trump’s trade war

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Monday, May 12, 2025, expressed his ambition to forge “indestructible” ties with China.

This is as the leaders of three of Latin America’s largest economies traveled to Beijing amid growing global uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s trade policies and his unpredictable presidency.

Lula arrived in the Chinese capital on Sunday for a four-day state visit.

He was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including 11 government ministers, senior political figures, and more than 150 Brazilian business leaders.

Shortly after Lula’s arrival, Colombian President Gustavo Petro also landed in Beijing.

He made a symbolic visit to the Great Wall of China and declared his intention for Colombia to diversify its foreign relations, moving away from its historic alignment with the United States.

“We have decided to take a profound step forward between China and Latin America,” Petro announced.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric is also in Beijing to participate in a Tuesday meeting between representatives of China and member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).

On Monday, speaking to hundreds of Brazilian and Chinese business leaders, Lula openly criticized Donald Trump’s trade policies, particularly the tariffs imposed during his presidency.

Lula said he could not accept the kind of unilateral economic decisions “that the president of the US tried to impose on planet Earth, from one day to the next.”

Lula emphasized his goal of establishing a vital and strategic partnership with China, which is already Brazil’s leading trade partner.

He praised the Chinese Communist Party leadership and announced that China would invest $4.6 billion (£3.5 billion) in Brazil.

The announcement came ahead of a meeting scheduled for Tuesday between Lula and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He is expected to visit Brazil again in July for the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.

“China has often been depicted as a threat to global trade, but in fact, it is acting as a model of engagement,” Lula remarked.

He stated that China was making efforts to trade with countries that had been neglected by the global powers over the past three decades.

Lula is also seeking significant Chinese investments in Brazil’s infrastructure projects during his trip.

The visit of Lula, Petro, and Boric reflects China’s rapidly expanding influence across Latin America.

Over the past 25 years, China has emerged as a major buyer of Latin American resources such as soybeans, iron ore, and copper.

In addition to commodity trade, Chinese companies have increased their presence in the region.

Chinese electric vehicles, like those manufactured by BYD, are now a common sight on streets in Brazilian cities ranging from the capital Brasília to the remote Amazonian city of Boa Vista.

These visits are also taking place amid global instability tied to Trump’s approach to foreign relations, which has raised concern across Latin America.

Many in the region are wary of Trump’s aggressive posture, especially after he made comments about potentially retaking control of the Panama Canal by force.

Matias Spektor, an international relations scholar at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, a Brazilian academic institution and think tank, said the concurrent visits by the three South American presidents signal a broader shift.

In the Trump era, as the United States retreats from its previous global leadership role, countries are increasingly seeking partnerships elsewhere.

Spektor noted that the changing global order is motivating leaders to seize new international opportunities.

“It shows us that nations are actively reaching out, seeking engagement in an international system full of possibilities,” he explained.

“As the United States turns away from free trade and embraces a predatory, rather than transactional, policy stance, other nations have incentives to look elsewhere.”

He pointed out that Lula has recently made trips to Japan and Vietnam, further evidence of Brazil’s pursuit of diversified global trade relationships.

According to Spektor, Lula and other Latin American leaders have long seen the world as multipolar.

“The events of January 20 [Trump’s return to power] have intensified the perception that global power is shifting—not only eastward but also to the global south,” he said.

Spektor concluded that Latin American nations now aim to influence emerging international rules.

It has supposedly become increasingly clear those rules will not be dictated solely from Washington, but developed through broader global consensus.

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